Zach Top’s Cold Beer & Country Music is undoubtedly one of the strongest sophomore albums we’ve seen in a long time. It comes fresh from the release of his debut radio single, “Sounds Like The Radio,” which was the most added song to country radio for two weeks. For a young artist as traditionally-minded as Top, that’s a big deal. The Washington native spent most of his childhood and early twenties playing in various bluegrass bands before launching a country music career with the young, independent label Leo33.
Top comes out of the gate guns blazing with an excellent old-school country shuffle in “Sounds Like the Radio.” The track serves as a raucous country opener for this album and brings the energy to excite listeners immediately. The fiddle, steel, and blazing telecaster licks via country guitar legend Brent Mason set the tone for an old-school record that sounds straight out of the early 90s. The following track keeps the momentum going with a smooth, western swing. Zach has no problem asserting his pedigree as a country music singer, but as he pursues mainstream success, he also proves he’s here to have a good time. These singles are bright, accessible, and as twangy as anything today.
Bringing the tempo down a notch, “Cowboys Like Me Do” is a tale as old as time about being a rambling cowboy unsure of settling down. As a more acoustically-driven tune, it shows Zach’s strength as a crooner. He has plenty of range and knows how to rock a honky tonk, but a swaying slow jam is always right in his wheelhouse. As someone who looks and sounds the part, a lonesome soliloquy about a cowboy with little sense of direction suits him perfectly.
Across this record, the waltzing, romantic moments continue to show Zach Top at his best. “There’s the Sun” is a sweet love song that previously gained traction on social media. The music is lyrically beautiful and, of course, maintains that stalwart traditional country flair with excellent instrumentation. Steel guitar enjoyers, rejoice because this record never leaves you wanting for it. “Lonely for Long” is perhaps the prettiest song on the record. It sounds like Keith Whitley could have cut it forty years ago, with a breezy, sweeping sound carried by slow fiddle and steel that push and bounce against each other in the best way. Even for a slow burn like this tune, the hook soars as high as any on this record. In the same vein, “Use Me” is an excellent old-fashioned cheating waltz. The chorus is spectacular, and the melody showcases Top’s golden country voice. This is a scuzzy invitation to a potential lover to get over their problems together, and it feels absolutely right in Zach’s hands. Lyrically unique and perfectly sad, this track should be in strong contention as a future radio single.
As sophisticated and cleverly put together as this record is, it always remembers to have fun between the slower moments. “Ain’t That A Heartbreak” is a tune in which our narrator finds himself staring down the barrel of a divorce and has no choice but to laugh at how much his situation feels like a “stone cold country song.” “I Never Lie” is a humorously glib song about trying to move on from a heartbreak with a facade of fibs. Under the banner of his well-known honesty, he concocts an idyllic yarn about how well his life has been going since he and his girlfriend broke up. The dry humor of this record reminds listeners that, as well as a classic voice, Zach Top has plenty of personality, and just like the greats he seeks to follow in the footsteps of, he puts a high premium on witty lyrics.
From Top to bottom, Cold Beer & Country Music is a masterclass in traditional country music. It’s refreshing to hear an album that feels so entirely country all through. With a record this strong, Zach Top has proven himself as a standout rising star in this format and a premier vocalist in country music. His golden voice, a rare gem in the industry, is a testament to his unique talent. Just as exciting is that with a song climbing the airplay charts and a tour with Lainey Wilson, it seems like the sky’s the limit for the Washington native commercially. Many artists in the neo-traditional country movement take cues from generations gone by, but Zach Top fully embraces the things that make them great, and in turn, he sounds just as epic. Cold Beer & Country Music is a statement record for him that he can make the music he wants to make and reap the rewards of his originality.
