Album Feature – Jacob Bryant – Practice What I Preach

By Joshua Wallace

I first came across Jacob Bryant’s music with his 2016 Up In Smoke EP.  He impressed me then and has continued to impress me with every EP and single release since.  Fast forward to 2019 and Bryant is finally releasing his first full length album. While the Jasper, GA native might draw comparisons to more traditional mainstream vocalists like Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert and Luke Combs, Bryant takes things a step further with this album.  Let’s take a dive into some of these cuts.

The song “25 In Jail” first appeared on one of Jacob’s Unplugged EPs, however the version that appears here is full band.  I love how this tune pays tribute to Haggard and manages to keep things original. Bryant’s love and respect for Haggard really shines through in this tune.  Another favorite is the track “Pain Pain” which another hard driving country rock tune. This one is a break up tune with Bryant longing to ditch the pain caused by a hard break-up.  I really dig the vocals on this tune as Bryant gives the traditional country break up tune a bit of a harder edge with his southern tone.

An early favorite on this record is the long rocking track “Pour Whiskey On My Grave”.  This track makes a push to be a modern southern rock / country anthem with it’s killer riffs and even better solos.  Don’t sleep on this one if you like your country rockin’. On Another note, we have the slower ballad of “Hot Mess”. This tune is about the hard work and strife that a single mother is put through.  It’s a highlight of the excellent songwriting on the album with it’s great storytelling. Finally, a big favorite here for me is “When I Get On A Roll”. I really enjoyed this tune by Tony Stampley when Mickey Lamantia recorded it last year, however Jacob Bryant takes it to another level.  The tune is filled with pedal steel and heavy guitars that take you to your favorite honky tonk. This is also one of Jacob’s stronger vocal performances on a slower track for this record. If the right folks who make these decisions are reading this, this track should be a single.

2019 has come out of the gate hard with some strong music releases and this is just another one.  Jacob Bryant has a sound that can both get play on mainstream radio and find a home with traditional country music fans like myself.  Give this one a shot and you might just agree. Practice What I Preach is available everywhere you can find good music on Friday February 8th, 2019.

Favorite Tracks : 25 In Jail, Pain Pain, Pour Whiskey On My Grave, Hot Mess,  Practice What I Preach, When I Get On A Roll

Jacob Bryant – Practice What I Preach

1. More Than One Year
2. 25 In Jail
3. Best Part Of Me Is You
4. Bring You Back
5. Pain Pain
6. Pour Whiskey On My Grave
7. Sometimes I Pray
8. Wrong Way Home
9. Hot Mess
10. Practice What I Preach
11. When I Get On A Roll
12. One More Night With You