Review by AVA LIVERSIDGE
– HOUSTON – Keep your eyes out and ears open for the twenty-four year old, Georgia-hailing, Zach Bryan-opening Levi Turner.
Gentle giant of the new Americana scene Zach Bryan brought his Quittin’ Time Tour to Houston’s NRG Stadium last Saturday, July 27th. He is just as brilliant a performer as he is a poet, but this is something we all could have guessed. What I’m here to talk about is something far less assuming: Levi Turner, Bryan’s first opening act serving up stripped-down country with a voice to remember.
Turner, with 85,000 monthly Spotify listeners, stood centerstage of the buzzing arena that seats 72,000, armed only with his guitar, a True Value Hardware T-shirt, and the slight hunch of a young man who seemed a bit out of his element. All hesitations about Turner dissolved as soon as this unassuming powerhouse opened his mouth.
As the first act to be signed to Bryan’s new label, Belting Bronco, Turner embodies the homegrown authenticity at the heart of Bryan’s musical project. In June of 2023, soon after signing with Belting Bronco, Turner released his debut LP Allergy Season—a soft country collection steeped in his honeyed vocals and delivering breakup croons and backcountry ballads. Bitter heartbreak cut “Eleanor” opened up Turner’s set, somehow striking a balance of begrudged and unfettered that would characterize his stage presence for the rest of the night.
Turner has been wronged in the way that all outlaw country artists seem to have been—his lyrics are littered with nods to bygone lovers and the forced solitude that storied men must endure. The themes Turner explores may be well-trodden, but he distinguishes himself in a mastery of the art of plain speaking. Turner’s golden voice drips with the complexities of pain, heartache, and hope, but his stories lay himself bare. That is, he offers himself up to his listeners without any airs. Turner closed his set with a rowdy cover of Creedance’s beloved “Green River”—it is obvious in whose shadows Turner strides.
Earlier this month, Turner released the single “Black Beans & Coffee” and has several more tracks scheduled for release in 2024, likely culminating in a sophomore record. Look out for Levi Turner as he stays on to support Zach Bryan for the final leg of his Quittin’ Time Tour and gears up for a fresh release.
Listen to Levi Turner here:
