Zach Bryan

jackson smith

Throughout highschool I primarily only listened to rap and I would, occasionally dabble into country and rock, although I really did enjoy the two genres a-lot I just never consistently listened to them, always told myself i had to be in the right mood to listen to rock and country like being on the lake or hot summer days. However the fall of my senior year of high school I remember coming across this album since it has just come out and Zach Bryan was a hot commodity to my friends back home. I’ve heard of the artist before but never listened to him much other than his pervious album “American Heartbreak” that i would listen to time to time usually when a friend had aux or something like that. Anyway fast forward to this albums release and I quickly fell in love with this album and everything the album has to offer. First off the production on this album is incredible, lots of brass on songs like East Side of Sorrow and piano on songs like Tourniquet and Jake’s piano, something only ever heard in various songs previous to this album. As far as production goes the writing is off the charts, we all know Zach Bryan is famous for his song writing and his poetic approach to his writing in his songs, rather than normal country songs singing about beer and trucks, Bryan really dedicates this album to themes, from his time in the U.S. Navy and his upbringing in Oklahoma. His military background shows up in the discipline, restlessness, and sense of brotherhood in his lyrics, along with themes of moving around, loss, and trying to find purpose after service. At the same time, his Oklahoma roots ground the album in small-town values, simplicity, and storytelling—highlighting dirt roads, family, and a deep connection to home that contrasts with the chaos of his rising fame. All in all I like to look back on this album and look at it as a huge part of my conversion from rap to other genres like rock and country. My favorite songs you should check out are Hey Driver, Spotless with the Lumineers, and Ticking. Hope you enjoy as much as I did.