Bailey Zimmerman: ‘Religiously. The Album’ Album Review
Bailey Zimmerman shares his debut album, Religiously. The Album, officially out now, May 12th on all streaming platforms. Learn more and listen to the new album below.
Since exploding onto the music scene, Bailey Zimmerman has been lauded as one of country music’s newest and most exciting future superstars. The Warner Music Nashville/Elektra recording artist’s debut album, Religiously. The Album., is out now and is set to prove why.
The Louisville, IL native co-wrote 11 of the album’s 16 tracks as a follow up to his debut project, 2022’s EP Leave the Light On. With “Fall in Love” and “Rock and a Hard Place” already topping the US Country Airplay chart, it’s Zimmerman’s unique brand of radio-ready country rock that is continuing to win over new fans.
With a weathered voice, a growl full of emotion, and stories way beyond his age, the talented singer-songwriter takes listeners on a journey through heartbreak, heartache, and healing on much of Religiously, those themes permeating their way through a multitude of tracks including the single-worthy titular track. Here, he grapples with the grief of a relationship ending, noting that she seems happy, just not with him. “You look happy I guess, got the life that you wanted,” he growls, voice breaking with emotion. “But it ain’t with me.”
For Zimmerman, it’s clear from Religiously that he’s had his heart broken. “From 18 to 20, I was just kind of numb all the time,” he reveals. “Now I’ve got emotion back. I can feel things. Writing music has really helped me get out of that state.”
Those emotions weave their way through songs like “Fix’N to Break,” “Fadeaway,” “Warzone,” “Get to Gettin’ Gone,” “Chase Her,” and the album’s closing track, “Is This Really Over?” Each of these find him in relationship limbo, wondering where things stand and if it’s time to call it quits or keep fighting. “Fix’N to Break” opens almost angelically before transitioning into a sparse, country ballad that’s an immediate standout of the album, Zimmerman comparing his relationship to a home that’s falling apart.
Likewise, “Warzone” uses solid metaphors in its lyrics to compare a relationship to a battlefield, the background music fraught with darkness. On the tuned down guitar-heavy track, he sings about “living in a warzone with a heart full of bullet holes and boarded up windows.” Alternatively, “Is This Really Over?” features a more lush and airy arrangement despite tackling the end of a relationship. It’s an interesting contradiction of lyrics versus melody as he could easily be singing about drinking a margarita on the beach, but is instead asking “Is this really over? // ’Cause I need some closure // And it’s 10 a.m. and I’m still gettin’ sober // Just call it a bad night,” He coos, showing a different side of his voice. “Don’t call it the last time // I feel that goodbye gettin’ closer and closer // Is this really over?”
“Forget About You” finds him admitting that “getting over you feels so wrong,” while “Where It Ends” finds him channeling his late 90’s alternative rock side, his voice sounding like it would’ve fit in perfectly in a decade where he wasn’t even born yet. Meanwhile, “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” is a daring Johnny Cash cover. On the homage to the man in black, Zimmerman manages to stay true to the hand-clapping and swampy vibe of the original, adding a bit of his own take on the classic that could easily be released today.
“Forget About You” and “Pain Won’t Last” find him trying to move on from his heartbreak in an almost anthemic way, assuring himself and listeners that things are bound to get better, no matter how bleak things may seem. “You’re on the ground with scars from your past,” he proclaims on the latter. “You might be hurting now but the pain won’t last.”
“Found Your Love” is a simple and beautiful ode to falling in love in a special way, a bright spot amongst the heartbreak on the album. It’s the kind of simple ballad that would make a perfect wedding song or TikTok anniversary montage. With female background vocals and Jenee Fleenor’s haunting fiddle, it’s a special moment on the album, Zimmerman proclaiming, “I was a reckless child, a dead-end mile, living my life on the run… Never thought I’d hang it up, ’til I found your love.”
In many ways, Bailey Zimmerman’s Religiously. The Album. takes listeners through the five stages of grief after the ending of a relationship. Through the LP’s sixteen songs, there’s denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance. He does this with the growl of a rock star mixed with the heart of a country storyteller.
Religiously. The Album Track List:
- Religiously
- Warzone
- Fix’n to Break
- Forest About You
- Chase Her
- Fall in Love
- You Don’t Want That Smoke
- Found Your Love
- Rock and a Hard Place
- Other Side of Lettin’ Go
- Pain Won’t Last
- Where It Ends
- God’s Gonna Cut You Down
- Fadeaway
- Get to Gettin’ Gone
- Is This Really Over?
Country Swag Picks:
- Fix’N to Break
- Religiously
- Warzone
- Found Your Love
- Pain Won’t Last
Bailey Zimmerman’s debut album, ‘Religiously. The Album’ is out now on all streaming platforms.
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Religiously. The Album is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
