Zach Bryan

Zach Bryan is a modern country album. Normally I don't like modern country as the production is much too smooth and it all sound commercial and uninteresting. This album is an exception. From the start a feeling of integrity is all around. The songs are solid and the performance is to the point. "I Remember Everything", "Hey Driver", "Overtime", "Spotless" and "East Side of Sorrow" are good songs. The guest contributions are spot on. This album also has its flaws as the lyrics are often not that great and there should be a law against such poor album cover design.

There isn't enough country on the list! Excellent addition, thanks!

Really very good. Maybe a third in I was feeling like I was going to get sick of the vocal style, but he opens this up and takes things in interesting directions. A lot going on lyrically both in content and form. Sounds like he might be kind of a dick but oh well, I don't have to hang out with him.

Im pretty familiar with this album- I’ve listened to it a good amount of times and have it downloaded. It’s incredibly difficult for me to separate the music from the artist, but I think that this is truly a great album.

This modern take on country music is quite refreshing. Enjoyed it a lot

Country rock. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Hmmm this was a pleasant listen. Not sure where it stands in the pantheon of country music, but I enjoyed it!

I enjoy listening to Zach Bryan, but not so much a whole album. His albums are certainly cohesive and have a solid through line, but my god, get some range. Do something different. All the songs are good, but he’ll never be great unless he can hit a different emotion than melancholy. Still great stuff. One of the only poets I don’t mind. 4/5

Much better than I was expecting. 4 stars.

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Overtime, East side of sorrow, I remember everything, Spotless

I listen to a lot alt-country bands like Wilco, Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo (yes I know what I did there), etc. I would put this on the other side I’d call this country-alt. Much more rooted in country with the alt influence as opposed to rooted in alt with the country influence. It was my first time consciously hearing his stuff. I enjoyed it. Well crafted record with well crafted songs and a great ambiance throughout.

A new one for me. I wouldn't describe this as country, despite what Wiki tries to tell you. It's more in the tradition of Steve Earle. It's the kind of music Alabama 3 might be making if they came from, erm, Alabama and not Brixton. I could have done without the talky talky bits. Otherwise a very classy alt Americana album.

I almost actively-dislike modern country music. And I know the name Zach Bryan without (I don't think) having heard him; so yes: I pull this today and in conjunction with the lame cover I was petulantly ready to pre-judge it. But .... well. This isn't at all what I'd expected, whatever that was. Much more in the line of heartland / mellower Bruce Springsteen vibe. (I also almost reflexively reject guest vocals / features etc but I do love Kacey Musgraves) Broke a lot of stereotypes for me here - nothing seems overproduced, instrumentation is carefully arranged, dynamics used creatively. Not sure how much I will ever voluntarily play this again but I have to push against my biases and admit this was a pretty good album. Too long; would have been a bigger impact as a ~10 song set but props and this is a good example (for me) of giving everything a chance. Cover still sucks, though. 7/10 4 stars IMO: Belonged in the book? fk. I never think something new should be in there but probably Yes based on his impact.

Cool discovery!

Ooooo Zachy boy

Very fine modern Country music. Not the most groundbreaking thing ever, but it's got heart. Strong 3/5.

Actually enjoyed this more than I expected, given I hate country music, modern country maybe more my thing.

I am mixed on this. I love some of the collabs on this but overall it is less than the sum of its parts and the song writing just isn't that great. Also the album cover is just... bad. Always enjoy more American country music here but this doesn't do it for me. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

This is very pleasant but it never feels especially... idk.. special? I like country a lot, and I like this a lot more than the highly polished MAGA country of the 2010s, but still, I have a hard time imagining that this is someone's favorite album or artist.

3.5/5

Zach Bryan has all the talent to be a popular country artist. His strongest ability is his lyricism where he can create stories in his songs. His biggest drawback is he creates so much music so often and no matter what it is you can point to it and say that’s a Zach Bryan song. He is good at what he does but he struggles to do a lot. This is probably his best album and the strongest parts of it are the features to bring in some variance to his structured sound. A good album all together but he does get a bit repetitive after a while. 7.4/10

This was good, I enjoyed it for the most part, it was just sort of repetitive. I did like the songwriting, it just seemed every song was the same tempo, style, and subject. 3.5/5, but rounding down because I'll probably not listen to this album again, but I'll give Zach Bryan another shot on a different album.

I will admit that his vocal approach to the formulaic modern country format is novel, but I don't think his story telling is very evocative. Summertime's Close is fine but not my thing. Fear and Friday's is a good tune. That's about all.

it's okay 3

Great voice! I liked the way he sings more than the music and lyrics, but it kept me interested.

Yee-fucking-haw. Only less exciting, actually. "Overtime" and "Each Side Of Sorrow" are gems. A couple of other songs probably reach those heights within this album. Too bad the later is pestered by too many cuts sounding all the same. There's a melancholy and simplicity I can appreciate in Zach Bryan's artistry, and in that modern country landscape plagued by so much overproduced dross, that's got to count for something. I only wish the music didn't sound so self-indulgent or devoid of true dynamics at times. On paper, you can play barebones country-folk songs giving you genuine thrills and a feeling of completion, if you take my meaning. But in this eponymous album, at least, too many songs come off as drafts of better things to come. A bit frustrating. 3/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums. 8/10 for more general purposes ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 84 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 106 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 218 (including this one) ---- Émile, j'ai vu ta dernière réponse. J'essaie de trouver le temps de te laisser la mienne dans les jours qui viennent. Désolé, ça fait longtemps que je te dis ça, mais la situation est un peu compliquée par chez moi en ce moment... Rien de grave, mais je trouve pas beaucoup de temps pour moi. Porte-toi bien

it was fine. I'd rather listen to Bruce Springsteen.

I like country and Americana and singer songwriter and folk and this is just soo boring to me

This rating is more on me than Zach, had my fill of country already growing up in a rural town. I will say the production here is nice and crisp, and some of the instrumentals did surprise me. Bryan does infuse his tracks with more heart and genuineness than those who are in the genre just for the money, I just can't really get myself enthused about modern country music in general.

I found Zach Bryan pretty dull and not at all the sort of country I enjoy, it was too stripped back, too samey track to track, and largely underwhelming for something apparently so popular. 2.

A self-produced country album that starts with a track with "(poem)" and a superfluous apostrophe in the title. One of the least appealing album covers from the whole lot. I'm an sure that I'm going to utterly detest this. The second track starts with a steel geeetar plucking out the Star Spangled Banner with an actual "Yeehaw" in the background. Fuck this for a game of soldiers.

Overrated and irrelevant.

Load of ballads. Not for me.