Their latest album is called "The Walk," and the members of Hanson have helped many Africans do just that a little easier.

The band of brothers partnered with fledgling shoe company, Tom Shoes, to help donate thousands of pairs of shoes to needy African children. For each pair of shoes purchased at a Hanson concert or from the company's Web site, Tom Shoes donated a pair of shoes to an African child in need.

The brothers recently returned from a 10-day trip to Africa, where they personally delivered the shoes. But their involvement with the country extends beyond footwear -- parts of "The Walk" were recorded in Africa with a children's choir.

Yeah, that's right. The Oklahoma trio credited with bringing radio-friendly pop music back to the airwaves in the grunge-filled '90s has a social conscience.

"It was really inspiring," said the youngest brother, Zac Hanson, about singing with a children's choir. "It reminded me of why we made music in the first place. Seeing these young kids, ages 8 to 12, seeing the kids singing (and) the joy, and you go, 'This is why we make music.' They're singing 'I have hope in Zulu,' and it was like a ton of bricks was dropped on you. It reminds you that the point of music is to affect people."

Health scare

The group recently had a health scare when oldest brother, Isaac, developed blood clots in his lung and arm.

"Thankfully, it turned out OK," Zac said. "He definitely dodged a bullet. He's got a clean bill of health."

He was out of the hospital and back on tour within days, he said.

All three of the brothers are married, and two of them have kids, so touring is sometimes a large family affair.

"They (family members) come out as much as they can," Zac said. "We're lucky we're in a position to bring the family out."

The latest album represents a shift in recording for the trio, he admitted.

"The songs on this record hit a little broader on all of our influences," he said. "You can hear elements of the R&B stuff we grew up listening to, also blues and gospel. It has a better scope of representing everything about the band ... better than any record before."

"The Walk" has been well-received, with critics hailing it as "gratifyingly strong" (Entertainment Weekly) with "an iconic America sound" (Billboard). The LA Times wrote, " 'The Walk' is intelligent mainstream rock with a soulful influence."

"This record we took the approach of doing it live," said Zac, who sings more lead vocals on this record than ever before. "We started with what the three of us sound like when we play together ... rather than playing the music producer in our heads and throwing in the kitchen sink and all the bells and whistles."

What emerges is a classic sound that translates well live.

They still take a bass player and a rhythm guitarist/organist on the road with them to "fill in the extra holes," he said.

"Most of that is for past records. We like to have extra power chords for the older stuff," he said.

Joliet audiences can expect a healthy dose of new material, but the band doesn't neglect its previous work. And, as the Rialto show is so close to Christmas, Zac hinted that a number from the band's Christmas album might make an appearance.

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