We need a studio version of this asap.
It’s no secret (or at least it shouldn’t be anyway), that Zach Top has emerged himself as one of the biggest country artists in the genre right now. While Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan overwhelmingly dominate streaming numbers, Top is bringing back that traditional 80’s and 90’s sound country music fans clearly still crave, and doing it extremely well I might add.
Back in May of 2024, just a month after the release of his debut album, “Cold Beer and Country Music,” Zach uploaded a cover of Keith Whitley’s “Nobody In His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her” to his Youtube channel.
Although Strait’s version was a cover as well, it wasn’t until the King released his version in 1986 that the song would become massively popular. Top lists Keith Whitley as the original performer in his YouTube description, however that’s not entirely accurate either. Yes – the late, great Keith Whitley recorded a version before Strait on his 1985 album, “L.A. to Miami,” but the track was originally written and recorded by Dean Dillon 5 years prior.
While we’ve seen a plethora of country artists cover the song over the last few decades, most notably Jon Pardi, I don’t think too many (if anyone at all), have done it like Zach Top. That’s not to say Pardi or anyone else’s cover hasn’t been nothing short of terrific, but I mean, c’mon, Zach was born entirely for that sound.
From the moment Top sings the first line, “I burn with desire,” his silky smooth vocals command your attention. So much so that I probably equate for at least a couple thousand of the 3.4 million views it currently has on YouTube. Check it out for yourself here: