Two years after the release of “The Great American Bar Scene,” Zach Bryan released his seventh studio album titled “With Heaven On Top.” This 25 track album was outstanding. This album is full of exquisite vocals, multi-instrument tunes, storytelling and emotional lyrics. Bryan’s vocals paired with his storytelling lyricism create an emotional rollercoaster throughout this album.
“With Heaven On Top” feels and sounds like sitting around a camp fire on a warm summer night. Its mix of upbeat and slower songs are perfect for reminiscing with family and friends. Much like the rest of Bryan’s albums “With Heaven On Top” is a mix of country, folk, and tracks that make you feel everything all at once.
This album is special to me because it takes me through every emotion. It makes me feel every emotion all at once. The vocals in “Rivers and Creeks” really took me by surprise; at one point in the song I didn’t believe that it was Zach Bryan singing. His voice began to sound rough instead of his usual smooth crisp vocals. The vocals in every song are just perfect, they tickle my brain in every way possible.
The lyrics spoke to me in a way that made me want to cry. They made me miss something I didn’t even know was there. The lyrics made me feel like I was on a journey to find something that was missing in my life. Every song in this album is written so well and is full of every emotion that aids in the storytelling. The lyrics in “Skin” took me to a state of pure agony. The lyrics in this song express the feeling of permanently erasing someone out of your life, permanently. Bryan describes this by getting rid of his old tattoos, so that there is nothing left of this person. It’s heartbreaking; you can tell that this is something bittersweet for him. The lyricism of this song is outstanding. I can truly feel the pain and the heartbreak through the lyrics.
The album cover and title correlate so well with the tracks and the lyrics. To me the title means, do everything while knowing that heaven is on top. Like in everything, know that heaven is up there and that’s where you’re working towards. In the song “With Heaven On Top” Bryan describes going through some hard times but he knows that heaven is up there and it’s all going to work out.
This album as a whole has so much beauty and heartbreak intertwined together. It is a seemingly longer album with 25 tracks, but every track is necessary. Every track adds to the album as a whole. It really is an amazingly written album, the lyrics and storytelling work so well together to produce this incredibly emotional piece of art.
