Nashville by way of Pittsburgh Americana artist Zach Schmidt follows up his 2016 debut The Day We Lost the War with Raise a Banner – an album he enlisted Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit (Jimbo Hart, Chad Gamble, Derry DeBorgia, and Sadler Vaden) band on the recording. Across the ten-song collection, Schmidt delivers a polished album filled with twangy guitars and chugging rhythms and features a number of up-tempo jams and more reserved reflections on loss. Raise a Banner was produced by Sadler Vaden (Jason Isbell, Drivin’ N Cryin’) at Nashville’s Creative Workshop where he helped Schmidt polish his already compelling sound. Notable tracks include: the rollicking honky-tonk number featuring a guest appearance from Jason Isbell on “Forgone Conclusion”; the Byrds-esque “Go My Way”; the heartland rocker about love “I Can’t Dance”; the beautiful heartbreaker “You’re Still on My Mind”; the Southern gothic title-track; a biting commentary on being overloaded on “Burn Out Easy”; and the thoughtful acoustic closer “Back Around.” Zach Schmidt’s Raise a Banner is a very satisfying listen and a solid step forward from his debut. Schmidt is definitely someone to keep an eye on as a talented up-and-coming musician. – Written by JFelton
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