ZZ Top has spent a long time working on their next album, but guitarist Billy Gibbons assures Rolling Stone's David Fricke that the new disc is coming along very well. "The good news is that under the direction of Rick Rubin, ZZ Top has stepped into a new arena with a very understanding producer," says Gibbons, who adds that the next record should be pretty streamlined and straightforward. "When you add up the days in the studio, it hasn't allowed us much time to do much else than plug straight into an amp and play as a trio. We're not afraid to experiment when time allows, but these are things that don't normally pop up in a ZZ session. It's just, go in and get it."