Zach Bryan gets away with murder. There's no other way to say it. His authenticity and honesty and story are so strong and so powerful that he simply doesn't have to play by the same rules as everyone else. That's not to discredit him in anyway. Truly. I really dig his records. I just want to know what his rules actually are. I want to know how his gut works. Because on the first line of the first chorus of this record, he delivers a vocal performance that any other vocalist would have said, "cool, yeah we've got better takes of that, we're good." It's so shaky and so uncertain and flat, and he gets away with it. And I'm not even mad. I back it. It gives me courage, and I think in a musical chapter where everything is completely over engineered, I'm all for it. But it's fucking puzzling because this record is not some lofi affair. He recorded it at Electric Lady! John Mayer and The Boss are on it! I just want to know what his rules are. It's really funny to watch friends who've had country records or singer songwriter careers that are nowhere near Bryan's success because it absolutely kills them. They do not understand how he gets away with it. I'm all for it, and I really want to see this show live.
Love the album. I think you are probably right that his authenticity, honesty and story telling is what helps him overcome the imperfections you reference. I understand in your perspective he is overcoming major obstacles when he overcomes those imperfections. However, from my perspective, as a person with zero music talent or ability (like most of the population), I haven’t noticed and will probably never notice any of these imperfections. So I don’t see it as him overcoming any major obstacle (as most people listening have my music ability). To me it is just music that is as well put together as any other, but, unlike a lot of other music, this has honesty, authenticity and good story telling.
“My creative process has always felt like chipping away at a marble block, hoping a sculpture appears.” No better way to explain what it’s like to try to create something. Been grateful to watch all the sculptures you’ve created over time, especially through all the different mediums. Happy to hear you’re garnering the attention you deserve
RECORD CLUB THREAD
Zach Bryan - The Great American Bar Scene (2024)
Zach Bryan gets away with murder. There's no other way to say it. His authenticity and honesty and story are so strong and so powerful that he simply doesn't have to play by the same rules as everyone else. That's not to discredit him in anyway. Truly. I really dig his records. I just want to know what his rules actually are. I want to know how his gut works. Because on the first line of the first chorus of this record, he delivers a vocal performance that any other vocalist would have said, "cool, yeah we've got better takes of that, we're good." It's so shaky and so uncertain and flat, and he gets away with it. And I'm not even mad. I back it. It gives me courage, and I think in a musical chapter where everything is completely over engineered, I'm all for it. But it's fucking puzzling because this record is not some lofi affair. He recorded it at Electric Lady! John Mayer and The Boss are on it! I just want to know what his rules are. It's really funny to watch friends who've had country records or singer songwriter careers that are nowhere near Bryan's success because it absolutely kills them. They do not understand how he gets away with it. I'm all for it, and I really want to see this show live.
Love the album. I think you are probably right that his authenticity, honesty and story telling is what helps him overcome the imperfections you reference. I understand in your perspective he is overcoming major obstacles when he overcomes those imperfections. However, from my perspective, as a person with zero music talent or ability (like most of the population), I haven’t noticed and will probably never notice any of these imperfections. So I don’t see it as him overcoming any major obstacle (as most people listening have my music ability). To me it is just music that is as well put together as any other, but, unlike a lot of other music, this has honesty, authenticity and good story telling.
“My creative process has always felt like chipping away at a marble block, hoping a sculpture appears.” No better way to explain what it’s like to try to create something. Been grateful to watch all the sculptures you’ve created over time, especially through all the different mediums. Happy to hear you’re garnering the attention you deserve
Thank you, Jess. I can tell from the pieces of yours that I've read that you put a ton of time and sweat into your work as well.