Jan. 9, Zach Bryan released his new album With Heaven on Top– a year and a half since his last album release. He originally released 25 songs that made the album around an hour and 18 minutes. Three days later, he released another album with 24 acoustic versions of all the original songs, excluding the opening spoken-word track, which earned the album brownie points in my overall rating.
Out of 25 songs, 14 reached an eight or higher rating out of 10. The ratings were based on how I felt about the lyrics, whether that be the structure or the depth of them, the relatability of the topics and themes in the song, the vibe it gives off, and an overall rating.
- “DeAnn’s Denim” – 8.0/10
- “Drowning” – 9.0/10
- “Skin” – 8.2/10
- “Bad News” – 8.0/10
- “South and Pine” – 8.5/10
- “Cannonball” – 9.5/10
- “Slicked Back” – 8.0/10
- “Anyways” – 8.0/10
- “Aeroplane” – 8.3/10
- “Always Willin’” – 8.5/10
- “Miles” – 8.8/10
- “All Good Things Past” – 8.0/10
- “Sundown Girls” – 8.7
- “With Heaven on Top” – 9.0/10
In Bryan’s usual fashion, this album is a storytelling album that is best listened to from start to finish. The listener will hear the full story, with the artist’s lyrics answering questions that arise and sharing memories through each song in chronological order, with some flexibility. Although I’ve heard from other listeners that they don’t love the album, I gained a large appreciation for it after really listening to the lyrics, following the storytelling, and recognizing a similar topic throughout– Bryan seeking the thrill of life and going through the ups and downs. It’s overall very reflective of his recent journeys and travels, and keeps the central theme throughout.
Overall, I would rate this album an 8.0/10. Only three songs have a traditional bridge, which is usually my favorite part of a song, so I was slightly disappointed, but it gained points for the full acoustic version as well. His style and vocals turn the album into the adventure that it was meant to be.
If you like this album, here are a few songs to check out!
“Too Fast” by Jason Aldean
“Everlasting Light” by The Black Keys
“Salt and the Sea” by The Lumineers
“City Rain” by John Vincent III
