Zane Williams - Snapshots (2016/2020) FLAC

In April of 2015, as the applause died down and the Grand Ole Opry crowd fell silent, Ricky Skaggs put his arm around Zane Williams and said, "Son, you have a gift. Don't worry about the trends in this town. Keep writing the kind of songs you just sang, because people need to hear real music like that." It sure felt like a passing of the torch, and so far Zane has been using that torch to light a fire among fans of authentic country music. He's racked up four top-ten Texas radio hits (six if you count his songs "Ride With Me" and "While I Was Away," which were number one hits for Cody Johnson and Pat Green respectively). He was the big winner at the 2015 Texas Regional Radio Awards, taking home three awards, including the top prize for "Entertainer of the Year." Wide Open Country listed him at #2 on their list of "Rising Texas Country Artists You Need to Know," and the legions of Zaniacs who pack out his honky-tonk shows couldn't agree more. But if that all sounds like an "overnight success" story to you, then take a listen to Zane's tongue-in-cheek anthem by that title and you'll learn the deeper truth. Zane graduated college with a math degree-yes, a math degree-and moved to Nashville in 1999, where he spent nine years performing as a solo act and honing his songwriting skills. His first full-length album was a rootsy collection called Hurry Home in 2006. Disenchanted with the way mainstream country music was heading, Zane relocated to his home state of Texas in 2008 and released two more indie records that eventually established him as a top draw in the Dallas area (The Right Place in 2009 and Ride With Me in 2011). But it was his fourth record, 2013's aptly-titled Overnight Success, that garnered statewide attention and yielded his first Texas number one single "Little Too Late." His 2015 release, Texas Like That, included another chart-topper, "Jayton and Jill," and that album debuted at #8 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Despite all this success, Zane will tell you he feels like he is just hitting his stride. And he's picking up the pace in 2016, with a non-stop touring schedule and a compilation album called Snapshots to be released ?January 22nd.? Snapshots will feature all his radio singles to date, selected cuts from the five previous albums, and a brand new song entitled "Wine Into Water." The sixteen tracks provide a perfect sampler of his artistry for new fans, and they showcase the masterful songwriting and singing that landed him last year in the renowned Grand Ole Opry circle.