Another day, another stellar set of covers from Zach Top.
Simply put, there’s no one doing it quite as well as Zach Top these days. Though there are plenty of other stellar artists keeping the traditional scene alive, such as Jake Worthington, Charley Crockett and more, the Washington native has launched himself into the stratosphere as of late.
Of course, this was highlighted on a national scale the past few months when he not only took home Best New Artist at the CMA Awards in November, which he accepted with a Coors Banquet in hand, but also when he scored his first-career Grammy earlier this month. In turn, Top became the first-ever winner of the brand-new Best Traditional Country Album category, winning it with his sophomore album, Ain’t In It For My Health.
In addition to being labeled as the savior of traditional country music, Top has proven himself as the quintessential human jukebox over the past few years when it comes to delivering phenomenal covers of different songs across multiple eras. From Chris Stapleton’s “Nobody to Blame” and Billy Currington’s “Good Directions” to George Strait’s “Nobody In His Right Mind Would Have Left Her” and Conway Twitty’s “Slow Hand,” the Washington Native has yet to meet a classic song that he cannot perform flawlessly.
This was put on display beautifully once again during a recent interview with Dan and Reid Isbell on their God’s Country podcast. In between praising Morgan Wallen and calling him a “gateway drug” for country music as well as opening up about his mixed feelings about the aforementioned “Traditional Country”category at the Grammys, the Washington native would lay down some stellar acoustic covers in between conversations.
Keeping up with his title as a torchbearer of 90s country, Top would start his batch of covers with a short performance of the newest Country Music Hall of Famer, Tim McGraw’s, iconic 1997 hit, “Just To See You Smile.” Effortlessly laying down the tracks opening riff on guitar, Top would deliver a flawless performance that, in my opinion, truly rivals McGraw’s original.
After some more conversation with the Isbells, Top would then go back to his classic country roots. Transitioning back from the 90s to the 80s, the “I Never Lie” singer would then pull out a cover of one of Merle Haggard’s career staples, “Misery and Gin.” Unsurprisingly, it was yet another killer performance and had the hosts blown away, audibly reacting when he sang the chorus.
I feel like I’ve said it a thousand times at this point, but the world deserves a cover album from Zach Top. Not many artists, save for a few like Eric Church, Muscadine Bloodline and Billy Strings, can consistently deliver so many stellar covers across eras and sound flawless every time. Top, however, has proven he can time and time again.
“Misery and Gin”
@thegodscountrypodcast @Zach Top out in #godscountry with us this week. Tune in wherever you listen to podcasts ✊🏼 #countrycover #zachtop #nashville ♬ original sound – The Brothers Hunt
Watch the full podcast here:
Zach Top Summer Tour Dates
June 5 – Durant, Oklahoma – Choctaw Grand Theater with Cole Goodwin
June 12 – Orange Beach, Alabama – The Wharf Amphitheater with Cole Goodwin
June 20 – Columbia, Maryland – Merriweather Lakehouse with Wyatt McCubbin
July 9 – Salt Lake City, Utah – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater with Jake Worthington
July 10 – Boise, Idaho – ExtraMile Arena with Jake Worthington
July 15 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Sasktel Centre with Lukas Nelson
July 16 – Edmonton, Alberta – Rogers Place with Lukas Nelson
August 7 – Ottawa, Ontario – Canadian Tire Centre with Wyatt McCubbin
August 8 – Canadaigua, New York – CMAC – Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center with Wyatt McCubbin
August 13 – Wantagh, New York – Jones Beach Amphitheater with Marty Stuart
August 20 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – PPG Paints Arena with Marcus King
August 21 – Allentown, Pennsylvania – PPL Center
August 22 – Bangor, Maine – Maine Savings Bank Amphitheater with Marcus King
August 28 – Gilford, New Hampshire – BankNH Pavilion with Marcus King
