Warren Peay has been killing it ever since his audition on American Idol. I think it helps that he both looks and sings like Chris Stapleton.
In the most recent stage of the singing competition, Peay was given three song choices by the judges in the “Judge’s Song Contest.”
His choices for the performance, which were anonymously submitted by each judge, were “Blue Side of the Mountain” by The Steeldrivers, “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and “Colder Weather” by The Zac Brown Band.
Peay ended up going with the classic Zac Brown Band tune, and though he could’ve easily performed any of the three, “Colder Weather” seemed to fit perfectly within his vocal range and performance comfortability.
The song was a part of the Zac Brown Band’s 2010 album You Get What You Give. “Colder Weather” tells the story of a truck driver unable to get back to their significant other because of harsh weather conditions. The storytelling in the song is profound, which may be what helped it to peak at number one on the Billboard Hot Country charts upon its release.
It was intimidating for Peay to try and do justice to the two time platinum certified country song, but he was up for the challenge and wowed the judges with his anthemic voice. The performance moved Warren into the “Top 8” of the contest, and his Instagram post showed how grateful he was to fans for helping him get to where he is in the contest.
Peay’s caption reads:
“I cannot put into words how it feels to be in the Top 8! It means the world to me to know you have all voted me this far into the competition, and I hope I can continue to make you all proud! To God be the glory!”
It was revealed after the performance that Lionel Richie was the one who chose the Zac Brown Band song for Peay, and Richie could not have been happier with the South Carolina native’s rendition of the song.
All three judges commended the artist for being comfortable enough in his performance to walk out from behind the microphone, an issue that the former appliance repair man had wrestled with throughout his time on American Idol.
Peay’s vocals are incredibly impressive and draw comparisons to the great Chris Stapleton. Like I mentioned earlier, he looks the part as well if you really wanted to see how alike Peay and the “Starting Over” singer.
Watch Warren Peay’s impressive cover of “Colder Weather” below:
