Zach Bryan’s American Heartbreak Continues on The Great American Bar Scene

Review by Rob Hinkal

In the follow-up to last summer’s self-titled smash hit, Zach Bryan, the Oklahoma native returns in The Great American Bar Scene, delivering passionate, vivid tales of addiction, regret, and anxieties.

Continuing traditions established on his previous LP, American Bar Scene opens with a stirring poem reflecting on his life as one of the most popular country acts in the nation and sets the scene for what remains a consistently personal and emotionally driven album. While its tracks may not quite reach the heights of its predecessor, the sheer amount of personality and tenderness exuded throughout are impressive and impossible not to appreciate in a genre that has long been (somewhat unfairly) characterized as being primarily focused on beers, trucks, and good ole American fun.

American Bar Scene is a more laid-back album than Zach Bryan and does, at times, feel as though it is lacking some of the spark that helped make that record the success that it was. Perhaps the most obvious difference here is Zach’s vocal performance on a number of the songs. He delivers the hoots and hollers and hits the high notes when he needs to, but he sounds tired. If this was recorded amidst his ongoing tour in support of (now two) albums, it is more than understandable that his performance may seem lackluster, but it doesn’t change the fact that there is a noticeable difference in his vocal delivery. While the songs themselves are beautifully written, Zach doesn’t seem to be able to deliver on a number of them with as much passion or fluidity as one would hope for going into a project as epically titled as The Great American Bar Scene. 

At just over an hour long, Bar Scene includes many standout tracks. The album’s lead single, Pink Skies, remains one of the better songs released this year in the country genre and tracks 28, American Nights, Oak Island, Memphis; The Blues, Bass Boat, and Northern Thunder all see Bryan operating with a lyricism that is tender and revealing, painting landscapes with relatable thoughts and universal emotions. Bar Scene’s collaborations are also noteworthy. Purple Gas with Noeline Hoffman, Memphis; The Blues with John Moreland, Better Days with John Mayer, and Sandpaper with Bruce Springsteen come to mind as the standouts here. Sadly, when you have as unique a voice as Zach’s, it can be difficult to find artists who you can mesh well with, and that difficulty is evident as while the songs are good, the addition of extra vocal performances can be a somewhat jarring transposition.

All in all, The Great American Bar Scene is a solid album and continues to showcase Zach Bryan as one of the premiere lyricists working in country music right now. With releasing two albums and touring around the world in less than one year, hopefully, the country’s newest hitmaker gets time to take a break before heading back into the studio to begin work on his next project. He’s earned it.

3.5 out of 5 stars