It’s honestly so criminal that Zach Top has yet to release an official collaboration.
As one of the hottest names in country music, Top already has two albums and a self-titled EP under his belt, and yet not a single featured artist appears on them. The closest he’s come is his three-track collaboration with Billy Strings on Me & Billy. While that project was spectacular, there’s no denying that Top’s rich country vocals would lend themselves beautifully to a ‘90s female-fueled duet.
Think something along the lines of Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss’ iconic hit “Whiskey Lullaby” but with Zach Top belting alongside one of today’s leading ladies in country music. Not to mention the endless possibilities with the male artists dominating the traditional country revival, like his touring buddy Jake Worthington or even a ’90s throwback collaboration with his “dad” Alan Jackson, or Brooks & Dunn.
While there’s a lot to dream up and get excited about when it comes to this standout Washington star, Top recently went on the Girls In Low Places podcast to set the record straight about his unfavorable opinion towards collabs. British host Katie Atkin posed the question, “You don’t tend to collab with many people. Why is that choice?”
Jokingly, he responded, “No, I love everybody, but a lot of collaborations I hear, I feel like it’s like, well, that was obviously this person’s song, and then this person just came in and just kind of like sang a second verse, and what was the point of it?” In retrospect, it’s a very honest take, especially since so many highly anticipated collaborations end up falling short after release, often lacking that spark of real chemistry.
Atkin chimes in with the wild but accurate analogy, “If the drugs good, keep it pure.” To which in agreeance Top follows up saying that he hasn’t lost all hope in the concept of duets.“I love when a song is written to be like if you think back to old Vince Gill and Patty Loveless duets, stuff that was written to be a collaborative song. That makes more sense to me.”
He points out prime examples of this back in the early days, when artists like George Jones and Tammy Wynette or Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn were producing intentional conversational tracks. He adds, “That song was written to be a duet between a man and a woman, so this makes sense. And then some stuff, I feel like the collaborations aren’t as intentional. It’s just like ‘oh, you’re my buddy. I got a song. Get on the song with me.”
Given that Top seems to be on the less-favoring side of collaborations, it doesn’t seem like he has any plans currently on the horizon. Still, given his appreciation for traditionally written man-and-woman duets, there’s always a chance his current relationship could inspire a heartfelt love song in the future.
Either way, Top has several festivals lined up this summer, and with so many artists gathered in one place, unexpected crossovers are always possible. Personally, with Top joining Chris Stapleton for four dates on his All-American Road Show Tour, I’ll be praying that the two avid guitar players find a way to perform at least once together.
Watch the full podcast here: