Zach Bryan Releases Dave Cobb-Produced Recordings from Studio ‘A’
Ever since November of 2019 when we got fair warning that viral songwriting star Zach Bryan was working with Dave Cobb in historic Studio ‘A’ in Nashville, we’ve been waiting to hear the results. Well now at least two tracks from those sessions have arrived in the form of a new studio version of the song “Condemned” that first appeared on Zach Bryan’s 2019 album debut DeAnn (and ends abruptly in a laughter fit), as well as the song “Hell or High Water” that has previously only existed in video form.
From the jump, Zach Bryan has been setting an incredible pace as an artist that before a few videos of his began going viral on social media in 2019, nobody had ever heard of. Then when he released his debut album DeAnn, he set the independent music world on fire, despite the homespun and lo-fi nature of his recordings.
As a full-time enlistee in the Navy, Zach Bryan is unable to pursue music full time. But squeezing in moments between deployments and twelve hour shifts to pick on strings and write lyrics, he’s become not just one of the most beloved songwriters at the moment, and surprisingly one of the most prolific.
Zach Bryan’s Studio ‘A’ Recordings definitely give us a glimpse of what we could get from a more purposeful and polished effort in the recorded context, and picks two quality songs to do it with. But as Zach Bryan fans will be quick to tell you, the fear of super producing his music is it may lose the grit and charm that made it so viral and infectious in the first place. It’s a small sample size, but Dave Cobb and Zach Bryan seemed to have found the sweet spot on these two songs.
Zach Bryan told Saving Country Music last May around the release on his album Elisabeth, “I legitimately work 12 hours a day, every day besides the weekend, so the ‘rough around the edges’ sound kind of came from a lack of time, not a disrespect to proper releases. I didn’t work with Dave Cobb [on ‘Elizabeth’] because I couldn’t get the leave from the Navy to record a full fledged record with him the ways I wanted to. That was all, Cobb and I are still close and he is still willing to record a record with me, but time restraints have kept us from it.”
Zach Bryan also released an EP called Quiet, Heavy Dreams in late 2020 that included a slightly more produced sound. Recorded in the same horse barn where Elisabeth was cut, Eddie Spear known for engineering and producing on albums from folks like Chris Stapleton, Cody Jinks, Lori McKenna, and Brent Cobb worked with Zach. Originally from Oklahoma, Zach Bryan is currently stationed in Washington State.
February 18, 2021 @ 10:21 pm
I prefer the original version of condemned, just not crazy about drums on zach’s songs. Maybe it will just take a little getting used to
February 19, 2021 @ 5:36 am
Agreed. The background instruments are distracting and chaotic to me
February 19, 2021 @ 9:44 am
This is always going to happen when you release a second version of a song after your brain has latched onto and found favor with the first one. That’s why it’s always a precarious business re-recording songs. In this case, these songs came from a fledgling effort to put out a proper album with Dave Cobb producing that just never came to fruition due to time constraints, and I think these songs should be regarded in that context.
February 19, 2021 @ 11:29 am
I would agree, I usually do like the version I heard first. e.g. Whitehouse Road
February 19, 2021 @ 11:18 am
Where are you hearing drums on Condemned? I listened to the version in the link above – is there another version I’m missing?
February 19, 2021 @ 11:52 am
Go stream or purchase Studio A Recordings that were released today.
February 19, 2021 @ 3:13 am
Anyone else hear a little bit of Tyler Childress?
February 19, 2021 @ 4:58 am
Maybe just a little…….lol
February 19, 2021 @ 7:31 am
I personally think the guy is copying Tyler Childers and trying to sound just like him. I have listened to several of his songs, and these recordings in this blog post, and I am still not impressed. I will accept no substitution and ask for the real thing, TTC.
February 19, 2021 @ 8:48 am
I think Tyler is purely Appalachian; Zach is Red Dirt. I love both guys and think they are two distinct, different sounding artists.
February 19, 2021 @ 9:16 am
Exactly – he sounds like WCG singing John Moreland songs while trying to sound like Evan Felker, haha.
For the life of me, I’ve never gotten the Childers comparisons – Tyler’s vocals are *so much* more affected.
February 19, 2021 @ 9:13 am
Lol I mean, he’s noted by name in the first line of the lead track on his first album.
Every artist has influences that they draw on – and/or just flat out steal from -, if y’all are looking for fully original style in country and Americana without crossover elements, it’s going to be hard to find in 2021.
February 19, 2021 @ 9:33 am
Honestly…Childers’ vocals sound more like JTE’s than Bryan’s do Childers’.
February 19, 2021 @ 10:25 am
Man, it really can’t be discounted how much of an influence JTE was on a lot of the now ~30-35 year old guys that have been around in the scene since they were young.
Childers and Sundy Best had been around Lexington for years before making strides nationally, both similar in age and JTE disciples, and I’m sure there are scores of others all over.
February 19, 2021 @ 10:57 am
Man…I’m still so gutted.
February 19, 2021 @ 9:48 am
This is what Zach himself told me in 2019 about the Tyler Childers comparisons and criticisms:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/meet-zach-bryan-the-man-behind-the-viral-album-deann/
““I say thank you, because that’s what my life’s been about, and that songwriting has gotten me through my hardest stories,” he says. “I’m a songwriter. To me, it’s not about what the music sounds like, it’s the lyrics I put into it. This was not a plan of mine. Music was not on my radar. But the fact that people are criticizing me makes me feel lucky, that people care enough to criticize. That’s neat. I never thought I would be in a place where enough people had heard my music to criticize it. I feel blessed about that. Whatever people say about it, it’s okay. They’re my songs … Evan Felker and Jason Isbell. That’s where I learned to love music. And then Tyler Childers came along later, and that just changed my life. Those three songwriters right there. They really spoke to me. That’s where I got my country longing to tell stories in songs.”
“The other thing about people saying that I sound a lot like Tyler Childers, it’s kind of funny to me because every single one of those songs was written from my heart, and the album was dedicated to my mom.” Zach continues. ” I wrote half those songs five years ago (before he knew of Tyler Childers), and I wrote the other half in the last few weeks. When I was writing those songs I was writing them to myself. I was trying to get myself through some hard times, and maybe I thought they could help other people get through them as well. I put so much thought into, ‘How can I tell this story to other people where it can help them?’ The messages people are sending me about my songs, that’s the only thing that matters to me.”
February 19, 2021 @ 9:54 am
This makes sense…especially since he sounds a lot more like Felker and Isbell than Childers, haha
February 19, 2021 @ 5:39 am
I liked what I heard back when you first introduced him here- but, there’s just something about these 2 songs that just don’t do it for me- not sure what, just something- not saying anything bad and I ain’t trying to be negative. In fact I’m trying to not be negative- it’s like his voice is muffled maybe- something is just off/different.
February 19, 2021 @ 5:52 am
Country Music’s Next Superstar.
I’m all in on this kid.
February 19, 2021 @ 5:54 am
Condemed was also featured in Yellowstone.
February 19, 2021 @ 9:19 am
Totally agree. The talent exhibited in the crude work he’s already put out is a powder keg in Cobb’s hands.
That first, real studio release is going to stay on the charts for a long time if it catches any traction.
February 19, 2021 @ 5:55 am
It’s like watching a movie that you loved back in the 80s or 90s, but now it’s in 4K instead of crappy VHS recorded from TV.
Maybe the shitty quality was part of the allure.
Anyway, if anyone hasn’t jumped on the KY, WV, southern OH bandwagon yet – come on in, Cole Chaney says the water’s just fine.
Here is a link to his Red Barn Radio performance from this past September.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IqQmsCMk2vA&list=PLj7Seyd-bMli19fFIZNcLD1RuKiwROMiY&index=1
February 19, 2021 @ 7:54 am
Speaking of the Appalachia region, Matt Heckler just came out with an album today, 10/10.
February 19, 2021 @ 8:46 am
I’m going to check it out now. I’ve had Magnolia Sessions stuck on repeat all winter.
His music was a little to Celtic for my taste in the beginning, but it with Magnolia Sessions it had more Appalachian edges.
February 20, 2021 @ 4:34 pm
Thanks for the recommendation, diggin’ it.
February 19, 2021 @ 9:28 am
Cobb’s Condemned has a bit of a Star Wars Special Edition feel, haha!
February 19, 2021 @ 7:10 am
i actually prefer the stripped down sound.
February 19, 2021 @ 9:26 am
Same – I think Elisabeth and the EP are the sweet spot for having some polish without sanding off the edges that make it work.
No one’s asking Shellback to produce In The Aeroplane Over the Sea, haha!
The two tracks do sound different, though – possible that they’re trying a few different approaches to translate the sound.
February 19, 2021 @ 9:22 am
Hell or Highwater sounds really good.
The echo and mixing on his “Condemned” vocals are…not great, though.
Sounds more Something More Than Free than Southeastern, if that makes sense (SMTF is firmly my least favorite Sober Isbell album, and it’s not the songwriting).
Anyway, between Zach Bryan this week and Jade Bird next week, Cobb is working with my favorite young guns!
February 19, 2021 @ 9:26 am
Emo Country. There ive said it. He sounds weepy and emotional. Not my thing, at all. Reminds me a bit of Counting Crows in terms of the vocal emotional inflections. I guess this style appeals to the generation coming up.
I want credit if ever the term Emo Country becomes a thing. I coined the phrase.
February 19, 2021 @ 9:31 am
I think the formal genre title is “Sad Bastard Music,” haha!
…and I’m about it. Love me some John Moreland.
February 19, 2021 @ 10:51 am
All hail John Moreland! The saddest bastard of them all!
February 19, 2021 @ 4:08 pm
Not here to burst bubbles but pretty sure I heard Dwight Yoakam refer to that King Leg deal he was / is backing as “emo country.” I don’t know nor care what emo is, but have heard it likened to the Smiths? If so, I just can’t loathe myself enough to give it much of a listen. From the little ZB I’ve heard, I sure don’t pick up much of a sniveling Morrisey vibe anyhow.
February 19, 2021 @ 4:26 pm
Thx California Trees. I have heard that weird King Leg album. It actually had some redeeming value! Some Roy Orbison sounding stuff. Im no fan of Emo nor an expert by any means. But Zachs morose sorrowful vocals and general whiny tone give me that vibe.
February 19, 2021 @ 6:52 pm
Well damn, the Orbison reference has me intrigued. I may have to circle back on that. Have a good one!
February 19, 2021 @ 9:58 am
Wow SCM community is pretty decided on Zach! I like his songwriting and style. I am excited for this. I really like the production on the EP. Yeah, he can be a little similar to Childers sometimes. For me, that is okay. I love sad songs though.
February 19, 2021 @ 10:01 am
Sad songs make me happy.
February 19, 2021 @ 11:20 am
I really was big on him at first, but his songs, stripped down or not, all sound the same. His vocals all sound the same, melodies sound the same, and topics are fairly similar. It also sounds like he uses a thesaurus for more advanced words, when plain, basic words would serve his writing better. Some songs are beautiful, but it all just becomes numbing after a while. I really wanna like him, because Godspeed is a song that means so much to me, but I’m just not feeling this
February 19, 2021 @ 12:27 pm
I feel like DeAnn, Elisabeth, and QHD all have distinct sounds…but I’m not an “audiophile,” and I don’t care how well someone plays guitar, haha.
February 19, 2021 @ 2:07 pm
Bingo! I’ve never been able to understand what all the fuss is about with this guy. He’s not bad by any measure (save the production on much of his stuff), but definitely not worthy of all the hype. I know people hate to hear this, but I really do believe that much of his initial internet hype was largely driven by people who had recently discovered real music through Tyler Childers’ growing popularity. When they came across some of Bryan’s initial songs they immediately thought they were gold because they sounded similar to Lady May (surely one of their favorite songs by the cool “new” guy Childers they had just discovered), thought they had discovered the next best thing, and shared it widely online. I also think Childers’ success is why there was seemingly a circle jerk of publicists trying to sink their claws into him, and how people like Cobb got involved…..they all saw $$$. At least it does seem like Bryan has a good head on his shoulders and is approaching his career with a level head.
February 19, 2021 @ 3:09 pm
Could just be that people recognized a naturally gifted songwriter that was putting out quality music with seemingly no formal education, experience, or professional help and got excited about it.
You need young talent in this genre to keep it going. You should root for young guys like Childers and Bryan, even if you don’t really care for the music they put out, and even if the leeches benefit from their success. That’s the only way we all keep this going.
If you were around in the pre-Purgatory/Stu days, you’d know what a grassroots success Childers was. He built a catalog of great songs over time, and even before he was selling out small venues, when you saw him play, you knew you were watching something special. A lot of folks do feel the same about Bryan, and that’s a good thing.
February 19, 2021 @ 3:26 pm
I’m a huge Childers fan, and have been following Childers since Bottles and Bibles. I’m not rooting against Bryan. I just don’t get all the hype and think he has a long way to go before he’s ready for primetime. And, his almost instant rise to “fame” couldn’t be any more different than Tyler’s….with all of his touring, scraping by, writing and playing with a real band, etc. etc. “He built a great catalog of songs over time” is right, although I’d argue even his earliest stuff is much better than Bryan’s currently. Bryan just isn’t there yet, which goes back to my initial point of the hype not being warranted. He’s got years to go before we will see if he really can mature into having what it takes to warrant the kind of praise he’s gotten.
February 19, 2021 @ 3:46 pm
That’s fair, I think I misinterpreted your take.
You’re definitely right that Bryan is definitely not the caliber of musician that Childers was at that stage, and I do think he’ll likely be limited to rhythm and vocals for a while. Cobb will put the right dudes around him in the studio, and hopefully he’ll attract a good group for the road that can cover his shortcomings and highlight his talent.
But, I will say the fact that his writing and raw emotion can move that many people on the back of crude production and cowboy chords still says a lot.
February 19, 2021 @ 5:54 pm
I mean, I’ve shown up early to a sold out show to see Childers live…and I vastly prefer Bryan.
Bryan’s songs are smarter, sadder, and catchier…and lack Childers’ put-on “Look how country ah am!!!” vocal affectations.
(Incidentally, I was far more impressed with The Local Honeys than the man himself – they didn’t body him like Colter Wall’s opener did…but nothing on Country Squire reaches their level).
This isn’t even getting into the fact that Bryan’s and Childers’ sounds have not a fucking thing in common, to the point where I’m convinced that anyone comparing them has no idea that a country scene exists in either Texas *or* Oklahoma – hell, there’s more Mark Knopfler in Bryan’s sound than Childers.
February 19, 2021 @ 8:18 pm
From someone who booked Tyler multiple times in his hungry years and had quite a few conversations with him – his voice is no put-on. That’s how he talks. That’s how most of Eastern Kentucky talks.
February 19, 2021 @ 8:40 pm
Fair enough – I own Purgatory on vinyl, and listen to Bottles and Bibles even more.
Only thing Bryan’s singing has in common with Childers is being a tenor, haha.
February 20, 2021 @ 7:28 am
Yeah I’ll back you up on that one. His ain’t even that bad compared to the old-timers from up there. NYU I think made a documentary on Lee Sexton, and they had to subtitle it.
February 20, 2021 @ 12:00 pm
That’s all valid opinions, even if I disagree, severely : )
February 21, 2021 @ 10:41 am
Hah, fair enough – I’m honestly not a big Childers guy. Respect him, but it’s just not my thing (except for Feathered Indians – I do have a soul!).
Bryan is so clearly going for an In The Throes/Southeastern vibe, IMO, that I just don’t get the Childers comparisons – Childers is so much more country, and actually knows how to play the guitar!
February 19, 2021 @ 2:21 pm
I’ve listened several times now and definitely prefer the original version of Condemned. I’m not really getting the Childers comparison. I’m one who has never really liked many of Childers songs, but have pretty much liked everything Zach Bryan has released so far. I’m hoping he just keeps putting music out how he has before. I don’t think he needs a producer to come in and screw things up.
February 20, 2021 @ 6:38 am
Comparisons to Childers are unhelpful. Zach is clearly inspired by the guy and for good reason. Let both of them grow.
Personally, I think Zach’s songs could be clearer in focus and form, but that’s just my preference. It’s good that he’s hungry, in pain, and writing a lot. My guess his growth will be better for Americana than country music. He reminds me more of Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, and Benjamin Tod than Tyler Childers.
Let these ponies run and stop casting stones.
February 21, 2021 @ 2:25 am
Yep – dude’s super open about not being “country.”
I definitely hear much more of a Texoma tenor than anything else.
February 20, 2021 @ 3:14 pm
I guess there’s room for 2 Tyler Childers. The original is probably a little better.