Zach Bryan has released new music on YouTube, marking his first new material since the arrival of his EP Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs two weeks earlier. Rather than featuring a new song connected to that project, the release is a cover of “Kentucky Hurricane” by Kentucky folk singer Ian Noe.
The song appears on Noe’s recent album Canyon Falls Trailer Band. Its lyrics tell the story of a man’s relationship with a sex worker and the events that ultimately leave the narrator in prison. Noe previously explained that the track developed from its prominent fiddle melody, which became the song’s central hook.
Bryan’s interpretation follows the structure of Noe’s recording while introducing a different arrangement. He plays electric guitar without percussion, Billy Contreras performs the recurring fiddle part, and additional singers contribute choir-style backing vocals.
The release also follows comments Bryan made to actor Matthew McConaughey about his songwriting. Bryan said he wanted to reach a point where he could write material that worked on the page without relying on musical elements such as drums, guitars or other instrumentation.
Sources: Rolling Stone.