The Great American Bar Scene

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The Great American Bar Scene
Several old photographs of people in bars centered against a red background.
Studio album by
Zach Bryan
ReleasedJuly 4, 2024 (2024-07-04)
Length62:59
Label
Producer
Zach Bryan chronology
Boys of Faith
(2023) 		The Great American Bar Scene
(2024)
Singles from The Great American Bar Scene
  1. "Pink Skies"
    Released: May 24, 2024
  2. "Purple Gas"
    Released: June 7, 2024

The Great American Bar Scene is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Zach Bryan, released on July 4, 2024, through Belting Bronco and Warner. The album follows just over 10 months after his self-titled 2023 album, and was preceded by the single "Pink Skies". It features guest appearances from Noeline Hofmann, John Moreland, John Mayer, and Bruce Springsteen.[1]

Background

On April 1, 2024, the website Whiskey Riff announced the release of the album for June and features from Mayer, Springsteen and the Avett Brothers as an April Fool's joke. Bryan officially announced the record the following month, with features from Mayer and Springsteen.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
Paste6.9/10[4]
Rolling Stone[5]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[6]

The Great American Bar Scene received a score of 80 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, which the website categorized as "generally favorable" reception.[3]

Billboard's Melinda Newman felt that "the album feels less overstuffed than American Heartbreak, but could have still used a trim or two given the relative sameness in the sound of the tracks", although the songs "continue to deliver an emotional wallop thanks to his economical, but cinematic, trenchant lyrics".[7] Chris Willman of Variety wrote that The Great American Bar Scene "actually feels a lot less stark than last year's self-titled record did" and there is "no mistaking how much the spirit of Springsteen looms over the album, as much as it has over much of Bryan's short, meteoric career to date".[8] Country Chord's Brennen Kelly wrote "this record is not about the titular great, American bar scene but instead is about all of the stories swapped, memories made and people met there," noting that Bryan crafted narratives that would be brought up in quiet conversations at a bar.[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Zach Bryan; "The Way Back" written with Jim Vallance and Bryan Adams; "Memphis; the Blues" written with John Moreland.

The Great American Bar Scene track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Lucky Enough (Poem)"2:42
2."Mechanical Bull"3:28
3."The Great American Bar Scene"3:36
4."28"3:53
5."American Nights"3:38
6."Oak Island"3:59
7."Purple Gas" (with Noeline Hofmann)3:00
8."Boons"3:05
9."The Way Back"3:05
10."Memphis; the Blues" (featuring John Moreland)3:09
11."Like Ida"3:35
12."Bass Boat"3:36
13."Better Days" (featuring John Mayer)3:32
14."Towers"2:50
15."Sandpaper" (featuring Bruce Springsteen)3:36
16."Northern Thunder"3:30
17."Funny Man"3:16
18."Pink Skies"3:49
19."Bathwater"1:40
Total length:62:59

Personnel

  • Zach Bryan – lead vocals (all tracks), production (all tracks), guitars (tracks 1–8, 10–14, 16–19), harmonica (2, 3, 8), piano (9, 12), drums (17), engineering (track 12)
  • Chris Braun – production (track 3, 13), engineering (3, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19), additional arrangement (1, 13, 15), Electric Guitar (track 3, 6, 14, 15) acoustic slide guitar (track 2), bass guitar (3, 4, 11); electric guitar, percussion (3); guitars (13), nylon-string guitar (10, 17), baritone guitar (11, 15), background vocals (4, 12, 13, 19), slide guitar (17)
  • Jake Weinberg – engineering (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19), drums (tracks 2, 4–7, 10, 11, 13–16, 18), bass guitar (2, 8, 13, 14, 18, 19), background vocals (4, 5, 8, 12, 13), upright bass (7), acoustic guitar (8), synthesizer (15), Dobro (17, 19)
  • Scott Zhang – production (track 13), mixing (12), engineering (2, 4–6, 10, 11, 13–15, 17, 19), piano (tracks 2, 4, 5, 11, 13, 14, 17, 19), background vocals (5, 13–15), electric guitar (5), bass guitar (6, 15), trumpet (6), tambourine (11)
  • Read Connolly – pedal steel guitar (track 3), Dobro (9, 16), banjo (18)
  • Mike Robinson – pedal steel guitar (tracks 4, 11)
  • Hannah Cohen – fiddle (tracks 4, 14)
  • Ana Monwah Lei – cello (track 4)
  • Graham Bright – electric guitar (track 4)
  • Gabe Wax – engineering (tracks 1, 2, 5, 7–10, 14, 16–19), bass guitar (tracks 5, 17), background vocals (5, 19)
  • Noah Legros – guitars (9)
  • Noeline Hofmann – guitars, vocals (track 7)
  • Zephyr Avalon – acoustic guitar (track 9), bass guitar (16)
  • Nate Head – background vocals, drums (track 9)
  • John Moreland – bass guitar, Dobro, vocals (track 10)
  • Patrick Kelly – bass guitar (track 12)
  • Morgan Meinert – background vocals (track 12)
  • John Mayer – guitars, background vocals, production (track 13)
  • Amanda Broadway – choir (track 14)
  • Greg Breal – choir (track 14)
  • Jeremy Lister – choir (track 14)
  • Kendra Chantelle – choir (track 14)
  • Kristen Rogers – choir (track 14)
  • Kyla Jade – choir (track 14)
  • Ronnie Robertson – choir (track 14)
  • Samson White – choir (track 14)
  • Dawson March – piano (track 14)
  • Bruce Springsteen – vocals (track 15)
  • Bree Tranter – background vocals (track 16)
  • Andrew Marlin – background vocals, mandolin (track 18)
  • Emily Frantz – background vocals (track 18)
  • Jacquire King – production (tracks 9, 10, 14, 15, 17), mixing (1–11, 13–19)
  • Pete Lyman – mastering
  • Hudson Pollock – mixing (track 12)
  • Jordan Lehning – choir arrangement (track 14)
  • Owen Barrett – engineering assistance (track 12)

Charts

Chart performance for The Great American Bar Scene
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 3
Australian Country Albums (ARIA)[11] 1
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[12] 17
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13] 58
Irish Albums (OCC)[14] 2
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] 4
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[16] 10
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 16
UK Americana Albums (OCC)[18] 2
UK Country Albums (OCC)[19] 12
US Billboard 200[20] 17
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[21] 6
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[22] 7
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[23] 5

References

  1. ^ Deville, Chris (July 4, 2024). "Stream Zach Bryan's New Album The Great American Bar Scene Feat. Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer, & John Moreland". Stereogum. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Crabtree, Mary Claire (May 2, 2024). "Zach Bryan Confirms New Album The Great American Bar Scene Is Coming This Year". Whiskey Riff. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "The Great American Bar Scene by Zach Bryan Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  4. ^ Williams, Tom (July 10, 2024). "Zach Bryan Limits Himself on the Too-Long, Self-Serious and Minimalist The Great American Bar Scene". Paste. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  5. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (July 4, 2024). "On Zach Bryan's The Great American Bar Scene, the Past Is Tangled, the Future Is Scary, and Right Now Is Miller Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  6. ^ Sowing (July 5, 2024). "Review: Zach Bryan – The Great American Bar Scene". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  7. ^ Newman, Melinda (July 4, 2024). "Zach Bryan's The Great American Bar Scene: All 19 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Willman, Chris (July 4, 2024). "Zach Bryan Brings In Bruce Springsteen for a Feature on The Great American Bar Scene, a Record Steeped in the Boss' Quieter Side: Album Review". Variety. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  9. ^ "Zach Bryan's "The Great American Bar Scene:" A Love-Letter To The Stories Swapped In Our Favorite Bars (Album Review)". July 6, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  10. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  11. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Country Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  12. ^ "Zach Bryan Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  13. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Zach Bryan – The Great American Bar Scene" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  15. ^ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  16. ^ "Album 2024 uke 28". VG-lista. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  18. ^ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  19. ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  20. ^ "Zach Bryan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  21. ^ "Zach Bryan Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  22. ^ "Zach Bryan Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  23. ^ "Zach Bryan Chart History: Top Rock & Alternative Albums". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
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