In the modern country music landscape dominated by pop-country artists, many artists have been lauded as “returning” country music to its roots. Tyler Childers and Sturgill Simpson, among countless others, have earned that title from fans. However, country music has many different facets, and each of them deserves to have a return to the spotlight. Country music has so many subgenres and different interpretations of its core that it’s sometimes even hard to distinguish what’s true country and what’s not. While no single artist can “save” country music or “bring it back,” Washington-born artist Zach Top has revived one of country music’s most classic eras.
In recent hits like “I Never Lie” and “Sounds Like the Radio,” Top has brought the deep, soulful vocal ability and smooth-yet-honky-tonk sound of classic ‘80s country artists like Randy Travis and Keith Whitley back into the consciousness of country music fans.
With his musical roots coming from his time as an accomplished bluegrass guitar player, in a genre where authenticity is often questioned, Top isn’t to be questioned. If you’re a fan of that prime ‘80s and ‘90s country sound, I recommend giving Top a listen, and if you enjoy it, you’ll be happy to hear that he will be coming to Cincinnati’s Andrew J Brady Music Center on his “Cold Beer & Country Music Tour” this February.
Zach Top plays the Andrew J Brady Music Center on Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. The show is currently sold out. More info: bradymusiccenter.com.
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Jan. 22 print edition.
This article appears in Jan 22 – Feb 4, 2025.