After becoming a country music phenomenon with the 2024 release of “Cold Beer and Country Music,” Zach Top has returned with his second album, “Ain’t in It for My Health.”
Top hails from the most out-of-place area you would assume a country musician is from, being from Sunnyside, Washington, but that does not make this album any less impressive.
Top is the leading figure in the neo-traditional revival in country music, and this album blends the sound of ‘90s honky-tonk with the ‘70s soft-sounding country style of artists like Jimmy Buffett.
Like his first album, Top wrote every song, drawing heavily on the sound of country legends such as Keith Whitley, Tracy Lawrence and Randy Travis, while incorporating elements of bluegrass. That is very evident with the first track, “Guitar.”
“Guitar,” which is the first of 15 songs, will be on its way to being a classic in honky-tonks, with lots of guitar being in the forefront. It is all played by Top himself, who is a classically trained bluegrass guitarist. He showcases this ability with multiple blazing guitar solos, which had not been seen previously from Top.
After the first track, the album slows down, leading to the song “When You See Me,” which, upon listening, makes it quite evident that one of Top’s biggest influences is Travis. This song is a throwback to the heartbreak songs of the ‘80s and ‘90s, being about a man whose wife left him, paving the path to his becoming an alcoholic. His alcoholism had become so bad that his ex-wife would not even recognize him if they passed on the street, like he was just a stranger.
The slow songs continue with the next two tracks, “Splitsville” and “Between The Ditches,” but then immediately turn on a dime with the song “Flip-Flop.”
The song is a clear homage to the tropical country genre of Jimmy Buffett and Kenny Chesney, and it has some great wordplay throughout. The song is about a man who bought a one-way ticket to the Gulf and fell in love. Then fast forward a week later, he is broke and she is gone, and now he doesn’t give a flip-flop if he ever sees another beach again.
The next track, “Tightrope,” continues the upbeat vibe, but then the album slows back down with “I Know A Place.” The next song that really stood out is the single from this album, “South Of Sanity.”
“South Of Sanity” may become one of Top’s biggest tracks. Top wrote this song when he was new to Nashville and playing a show with the Red Clay Strays. He got a call from his wife while he was waiting to go on stage, telling him that they were ending the marriage. You can tell this song comes right from Top’s broken heart, as this might be the best piece of songwriting in his catalogue.
After this track, the album finishes with the final four songs transitioning back to being upbeat, ending on “Honky Tonk Till It Hurts.” Many people did not know if Top could put out another great album after his first, but Top may have one-upped his first with this album.
Top showed everyone that he’s not just a one-trick pony; he truly proved that he can write slower, more melancholic songs rather than just being “Mr. Honky Tonk.” His songwriting ability was really at the forefront in this album, and I believe Top just established himself to be a country music mainstay for decades to come with “Ain’t in It for My Health.”