Album of the Month - January 2026

January was an incredibly prolific month. New releases from The Paper Kites, Evan Honer, Bre Kennedy and Luca Fogale made it genuinely hard to choose a Best Album of the Month. But when Zach Bryan dropped Heaven On Top, there were no doubts.

I honestly can’t remember the last time I listened to a one-hour-and-a-half album that felt this dense, this generous, this alive. A creation so big, so overwhelming in scope and emotion, that the world somehow also needed an entirely acoustic version of it.

And I say this proudly, as one of those “weird audiophiles that no matter how much he puts into a record will always miss just a guitar and him.”

Heaven On Top – Acoustic is exactly that: Zach Bryan alone (or almost), stripping down a massive, full-band album into its bare essentials. The acoustic version clocks in at roughly the same length as the original, over 90 minutes, across more than 25 songs, but the listening experience is completely different. Recorded in an informal, home-like setting and intentionally left raw, with imperfections kept intact, this version removes horns, backing vocals and layered production in favor of voice, acoustic guitar, and emotional immediacy. It feels less like a “companion album” and more like a parallel universe where the songs were born before ever becoming big.

With an album this long, a full track-by-track review would miss the point. Heaven On Top – Acoustic works more like a stream of consciousness, and some songs naturally rise to the surface, not just because of how they sound, but because of what they say and how openly they say it. These are the tracks that, to me, best represent the heart of this acoustic version.

Also, let me say this clearly: Zach Bryan has officially entered his Jason Isbell era, and I genuinely can’t wait to hear what comes next.

Runny Eggs

This song feels like the emotional doorway into the entire album. Stripped down to voice and fingerstyle guitar (the only 100% fingerstyle song of the album), Runny Eggs becomes a quiet but powerful reflection on youth, ambition, and the slow realization that some moments were more precious than we understood at the time. The imagery moves freely between big dreams like running with bulls in Pamplona and small, almost domestic pleasures, like eating runny eggs, turning memory into something deeply tactile.

In acoustic form, the song feels even more honest and fragile. Without any production to lean on, the fingerstyle pattern carries the weight of nostalgia and regret, making the search for peace and grounding feel personal rather than poetic. It’s no surprise this track has resonated so strongly.

Appetite

Appetite brings a darker, more restless energy. It deals with ambition, self-destructive tendencies, and the uneasy transition into adulthood, the feeling of wanting more while knowing that old habits can still pull you back. Even acoustically, the song carries tension, driven by urgency rather than volume.

It’s a song about hunger in every sense: for success, for meaning, for escape. And in its stripped-down form, that hunger feels even more uncomfortable, which is exactly the point.

DeAnn’s Denim

This is one of the album’s emotional centers. A deeply personal tribute to Zach Bryan’s late mother, DeAnn’s Denim reflects on grief, inherited traits, and the fear of repeating cycles, especially those tied to family and addiction. The acoustic setting gives the song a confessional tone, as if it’s being spoken rather than performed.

And yes, the jeans/genes double entendre is handled far better here than in any recent pop-culture attempt (Sydney Sweeney included). It’s clever, but never distracting. Everything serves the emotion.

Say Why

Say Why is one of those songs where Zach Bryan’s storytelling instincts fully take over. There’s a sense of constant internal tension here: temptation versus responsibility, escape versus self-awareness. Drinking becomes less a habit and more a symbol, a way of expressing unresolved struggles and past mistakes.

Even acoustically, the song retains a certain expansive energy, but it’s more focused now. The imagery feels heavier, almost biblical at times, and the stripped-back arrangement lets those metaphors breathe. This version highlights the emotional conflict at the core of the song rather than its momentum, making it one of the most compelling listens on the record.

Skin

Skin is raw in every sense of the word. Built around visceral imagery, the song uses tattoos as a metaphor for memory, attachment, and emotional permanence and what it means to try to erase them. In the acoustic version, there’s nowhere to hide: every line feels deliberate, every silence meaningful.

The song captures the violence of emotional separation, not through anger, but through clarity. Letting go hurts because it requires acknowledging what once mattered. The stripped-down arrangement amplifies that pain, turning Skin into one of the most emotionally direct moments on the album.

Bad News

Probably the most talked-about track on the album, Bad News takes on an even sharper edge in its acoustic form. Removed from full-band arrangements, the lyrics stand exposed and they hit harder. This isn’t a protest song in the traditional sense, but it’s clearly a lament for a country that feels increasingly fragmented and unrecognizable.

The references to fading ideals and blurred identities feel personal rather than political. In acoustic form, the frustration sounds quieter, but also more unsettling. It feels like someone processing disillusionment in real time, not shouting it and that’s exactly why it sticks.

With Heaven on Top

As the title track and closer, With Heaven On Top feels like the thesis statement of the album. It’s a song about endurance, about how hardship, experience, and relationships teach you more than comfort ever could. The message is clear: you don’t find answers by staying safe.

In acoustic form, the song feels even more grounded. There’s a sense of quiet resilience running through it, a belief that perspective, faith, or connection, whatever “heaven” means to you, can sit on top of even the hardest moments and help you keep going.

Heaven On Top – Acoustic isn’t meant to replace the original album, it exists alongside it, offering a different lens. It reveals how strong Zach Bryan’s songwriting really is when everything else is removed. At times, it feels like a return to his earliest recordings; at others, it feels like a confident statement from an artist fully aware of his voice and legacy.

I can’t wait for the vinyl to be out, this is absolutely the kind of record meant to be played front to back, slowly, intentionally.

Fun fact to close: the painting used for the artwork was actually hanging on the wall of the house where all the songs were recorded. And somehow, that detail makes perfect sense: this album feels like a room you were invited into, not a product you were sold.