By: Matt Wardlaw
Ultimate Classic Rock

Ever since Boston announced the upcoming release of 'Life, Love & Hope' - their first new album since the tragic 2007 death of longtime lead singer Brad Delp -- it had been assumed the record would contain the last of his vocal contributions to the group. However, in an exclusive interview, band mastermind Tom Scholz says we may hear Delp's voice yet again in the future.

However, Scholz is quick to explain these recordings may not be traditional studio cuts. "There are other recordings… I'm not planning on releasing anything else that I have that I think he would be happy with as far as songs that I've written that he's on. [But] there are certainly live recordings that have things that we did onstage that aren't on any album and that is certainly a possibility for the future."

Scholz says that he feels like Delp would be happy to know that his vocals are appearing on another Boston album. "Of course he did the singing on the songs, knowing that they were headed for a Boston album. I would think that if he were alive today and I didn't use them, I think he would have been quite unhappy."

Boston toured four times during the decade Scholz spent working on 'Life, Love & Hope.' 2014 will bring further touring for the group, something the guitarist and noted studio wizard says he's very excited about.

"That's by far the fun part. The studio work is the nasty, tedious, hard and nerve-wracking part, interrupted by moments of exhilaration. Playing live is the chance to actually have some fun and get on a stage. There's kind of no comparison between playing to the four walls in your studio as opposed to playing to thousands of people who are there just to hear you play your songs."

'Life, Love and Hope' will be released on Dec. 3. Fans got their first preview of the new release last month with the arrival of 'Heaven On Earth,' the first single from the album.