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Bailey Zimmerman is enjoying a tremendous ascent as a rising country star, but as he frequently reminds us on Different Night Same Rodeo, which arrived Friday (Aug. 8), he’s not so lucky when it comes to love.
Cold-hearted women and nostalgic memories of the ones that got away — and they almost all did — are themes throughout the 18-track album, issued on Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville. The heartache is palpable, and Zimmerman brings a rugged, appealing vulnerability to many of the songs here.
Not all is woe, though: Zimmerman is unabashedly and unapologetically romantically and happily in love on “Before You,” and there’s a fun — albeit through lightheartedly gritted-teeth — resilience to staying with his partner on “Everything But Up.”
The best songs, such as “Backup Plan” with Luke Combs and “Comin’ in Cold” have a stomp that shows off both Zimmerman’s country twang and rock bravado. Though the album as a whole could use some more up-tempo tracks, he’s at ease with both fast and slow songs and can comfortably toggle back and forth in service of the song.
In addition to Combs, the gritty-voiced Zimmerman has some choice collaborators on the set — Diplo, The Kid LAROI and McKenzie Porter. (His Billboard Hot 100 top five duet with BigXThaPlug “All the Way” will appear on BigX’s upcoming country set and is absent here.)
Zimmerman, who co-wrote seven tracks on the album, teams again with producer Austin Shawn, whose crisp production brings the tracks to life, as does standout musicianship from fiddle player Jenee Fleenor, steel guitarist Scotty Sanders and banjoist Tim Galloway. The album is chockful of strong lyrical lines, even if the full songs don’t always live up to their individual parts.
The Illinois native shows strong growth following 2023’s Religiously: The Album and such hits as “Fall in Love” and “Rock and a Hard Place.” It’s hard to believe that less than five years ago he was working blue-collar jobs. It’s safe to say those days are long past him.
Below is an early take on the best songs off the long-awaited set.
