On August 9, 2020, MacFarlane teased on his
Instagram that a sixth album was coming soon. It was later announced that MacFarlane would release his new album at the end of the month. He recorded a majority of the songs at
Abbey Road Studios. However, much of the album's post-production work was done at home due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic. MacFarlane described the songs as having been soothing the souls through the decades, saying, "Great songwriting presented with great orchestration is always uplifting. Hopefully these tunes offer, if nothing else, a little mood boost during a dark time." He explained his decision on picking the songs as, "It's just a selection of songs that I wish would be sung more. So you know, instead of '
Oklahoma' by
Rodgers and Hammerstein, we do '
All Er Nuthin'.'" He called the album's tone more light than his
previous album. He would describe it as more of a repertoire style record. MacFarlane collaborated with composer
Bruce Broughton, who he works with on
The Orville, to arrange and conduct the album. In explaining his decision on bringing Broughton on board, MacFarlane said, "The album is masterfully arranged by composer Bruce Broughton, whose signature vibrance and sophisticated orchestral texturing is a perfect match for this collection of show-centric swing arrangements and ballads." In addition, MacFarlane brought in members of the
John Wilson Orchestra. ==Critical reception==