After diving deep into Zach Bryan’s discography, I consider myself a big fan of his artistic songwriting and folk voice. So, after hearing the release of his new album, “Zach Bryan,” Aug. 25, I was ecstatic.
Though claiming the songs have no specific meaning, Zach Bryan is able to put the listeners into his shoes through his talents in song-writing and use of the instruments to illustrate a solemn feeling.
The start of the album opens with his poem “Fear and Friday’s,” has a subtle strumming of an acoustic guitar in the background, which I felt drew me in more than if there was an absence of instruments. I enjoyed his previous poem “This Road I Know,” that illustrated heartfelt nostalgia in his album “American Heartbreak,” so I had high standards. I felt that the idea was just as expressive where he describes his facing of his fears and experiences that make life meaningful. Typically, I tend to think artists trying to be poetic in a song results in cliche lyrics that just make me cringe, but here in this “song,” it is fully dedicated to his writing which really expresses who he is as a person, connecting him to the listeners. He recites over gentle strumming, “However I am loyal to a fault to anyone I find kindness and I do not and will not fear tomorrow because I feel as though today has been enough.” The pacing of the words are fast but also rhythmic which sucks the listener in and you have no choice but feel inclined to listen to his words.
Even apart from the poem, Zach Bryan always exceeds lyrically. One of my favorite lyrics occurs in the song, “Tourniquet,” where he sings, “If you need a tourniquet or if you need to turn and quit, know that I’ll be by your side.” He pauses, allowing fans to stop and really let those lyrics sink in, then he follows with, “You bled your whole soul into things you can’t control in a world you’ll never satisfy.” The wordplay from “tourniquet” and “turn and quit” perfectly expresses the physical and mental support you would provide for someone you love, carrying all their baggage and just wanting them to be seen and appreciated.
Zach Bryan’s acoustic guitar alone would not be able to generate the emotion and music diversity that is present in this album. With a banjo player, Read Connelly, guitarists, Graham Bright, and Noah Le Gros, drummer, Steve Clark and Lucas Ruge-Jones who plays the fiddle, this album brings talent and diversity to his music. My favorite characteristic of the song, “Overtime,” is the sample of the beginning of the “Star Spangled Banner,” because of its representation of the South and how a majority of his music coordinates with his experiences from growing up in Oologah, Oklahoma.
This album was able to bring popularity to the folk genre but also combine it with other genres including pop, country, and rock. I recommend this album to anyone who feels open to exploring Southern lyrical music.
