Zach Bryan // With Heaven On Top
The Oklahoma Troubadour returns with a stellar new record
★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Three years after his self-titled album further propelled his momentum toward megastardom, Zach Bryan has crafted a new album that sets out to cement his place as one of the modern-day songwriting legends. “With Heaven On Top” arrives with massive expectations, but with little known about the songs within. The sprawling twenty-five-track album clocks in at nearly eighty minutes and covers the usual themes that Bryan regularly explores. With love, loss and a desire to be a better man contrasted with allusions to substance abuse and hard living.
On the recording, Bryan and his band captured a thrillingly raw sound that is saturated in emotion. Before the album had even landed, he had announced a preemptive move to produce an entirely acoustic version. As he felt that many fans would find the album overproduced. However “With Heaven on Top” stands as possibly his most cohesive release. As the tasteful production helps to differentiate songs that would otherwise blend together. When reviewing the acoustic version, the stripped-back nature does help foster an intimate feeling in the tracks. Which harkens back to some of Bryan’s earlier releases. However, losing the stylised production reintroduces some issues in terms of songs maintaining their own identities.
Songwriting has always been Bryan’s forte, crafting rugged structures and flowery poetry to produce a near constant stream of exceptional releases. Thankfully this album is no exception and is possibly his most consistent release in this regard. Moving at a breakneck speed through hooks and flourishes that help to make every song memorable.
Opening with the poem “Down, Down, Stream” Bryan sets a tone of reflection that pervades throughout the album. Changing relationships, shifting life priorities and feelings of emotional turmoil ring loudly in his celebrity persona but are also decidedly familiar for his fans, further cementing Bryan’s ability to relate to listeners from all walks of life. This has been part of what has propelled him to superstardom so fast, not only in the American country charts but across the world with his raw singer-songwriter approach.
“Runny Eggs” opens the album musically, with themes that encapsulate much of the maturity heard across the record. As Bryan looks over his accomplishments and what he still aspires to do. His words strike a nostalgic chord as he laments “Wish I had known the good times back when I had them”, before he looks to the future with the first of many nods to religion and salvation.
Whereas “Santa Fe” is a cut of the anthemic Americana that has made Bryan a mega star. Winding verses piece together a tale of sun-soaked road trips and late-night dive bars, before the rousing chorus allows the themes to bloom into a vividly imagined vista.
Adding to the feelings of freshness and vitality across the record are a number of tracks where Bryan approaches his vocal delivery in new ways. Such as on “Rivers and Creeks” which contains both airy high notes and a throaty Elvis-styled delivery.
Perhaps no track on the album has stirred up more controversy than “Bad News”, where Bryan casts an eye over the tumultuous social fabric of the United States. There are allusions to various tensions and changing attitudes within the country, with the most incendiary lyrics snapping “ICE is gonna come bust down your door,Try to build a house no one builds no more”.
Closing out the album on a decidedly more serene note is the title track. Which acts as an encapsulation of the themes that have been explored across the records. With Bryan looking back at memories, both good and bad, that have helped him to reach the zenith that he currently occupies.
Against seemingly impossible expectations, “With Heaven On Top” sees Zach Bryan produce another poetic piece of classic modern country. Firmly establishing his artistry while also elevating his sound for the stadium-sized venues he now finds himself in. An artist who has always forged his path through the industry, this release proves no exception and will no doubt delight his legions of fans around the world.
Review By: Sam McNaughton
