High praise from the ’90s legend. Simply put, there’s no one doing it quite as well as Zach Top these days. Though there are plenty of other stellar artists keeping the traditional scene alive, such as Jake Worthington, Charley Crockett and more, the Washington native has launched himself into the stratosphere as of late. Of course, this was highlighted on a national scale the past few months when he not only took home Best New Artist at the CMA Awards in November, which he accepted with a Coors Banquet in hand, but also when he scored his first-career Grammy earlier this month. In turn, Top became the first-ever winner of the brand-new Best Traditional Country Album category, winning it with his sophomore album, Ain’t In It For My Health. Keeping the momentum going, the “South of Sanity” singer would snag not one but five nominations at the upcoming 61st annual CMA Awards next Sunday. In addition to scoring his first-career Male Artist of the Year nod, the Washington native would also score nominations for Album of the Year (Ain’t In It For My Health) as well as Single and Song of the Year (“I Never Lie”). Along the way, Top has garnered high praise from fellow artists and legends such as Tracy Lawrence, Dierks Bentley, Travis Tritt and many more over the past few years. Recently, ’90s legend Mark Chesnutt, who scored hits with the likes of “Bubba Shot the Jukebox,” “Almost Goodbye” and “It’s a Little Too Late” throughout the decade, was the latest traditionalist to offer up some high praise for the “Use Me” singer. During an interview with Andrew Pope on his Pickin’ It Out podcast, the “Too Cold at Home” singer would explain that Top was the first artist recently to truly break through into the mainstream with a wholly traditional sound, clearly referencing the fact that other traditionalists such as Randall King, who were undoubtedly buzzy a few years ago, never quite took off the way he did. “Ole Zach… When I first saw him come along, I thought, ‘Now we’re talking. Finally, somebody’s speaking my language again.’ And it’s getting heard. There’s been so many people come up over the years that were really traditional and couldn’t break.” Chesnutt then recalled the first time he ever listened to Top. Noting that he’d heard his name being thrown around for years, he’d say that he was “floored” the first time listening to the young star’s breakout hit, “I Never Lie.” “I heard Zach Top. I’ve been hearing about him for years. I heard all about him, but I never *heard* him. And the first time I heard ‘I Never Lie,’ It just floored me. I thought, ‘Now we’re going somewhere.’ Thank God that [traditional country] is not dead — dead as I thought it was. I thought it was long gone. The 62-year-old singer/songwriter would then offer up some high praise to the hottest country star on the planet right now, Ella Langley. Quite bluntly, he’d praise her style, distinct vocals and songwriting before saying he thinks she’ll be around “forever.” “I’ll tell you, I love that Ella Langley, man. I love her singing. She’s got it going on, man. She’s not up there wearing tit dancer clothes like a lot of these other singers are doing — pop singers and even some country singers. She goes out there dressed nice… She looks a lot like Jessi Colter. [She] reminds me a lot of  her — except her singing. She got her own distinct style of singing. She sings like she talks, too. I like that. She writes good. She got it going on; I think she’s gonna be around forever.” It’s pretty safe to say that Chesnutt hits the nail on the head here. The genre’s future is pretty damn bright at the moment, especially with Top and Langley leading the charge. Listen to the full interview here: Zach Top Summer Tour Dates June 5 – Durant, Oklahoma – Choctaw Grand Theater with Cole Goodwin June 12 – Orange Beach, Alabama – The Wharf Amphitheater with Cole Goodwin June 20 – Columbia, Maryland – Merriweather Lakehouse with Wyatt McCubbin July 9 – Salt Lake City, Utah – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheater with Jake Worthington July 10 – Boise, Idaho – ExtraMile Arena with Jake Worthington July 15 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Sasktel Centre with Lukas Nelson July 16 – Edmonton, Alberta – Rogers Place with Lukas Nelson August 7 – Ottawa, Ontario – Canadian Tire Centre with Wyatt McCubbin August 8 – Canandaigua, New York – CMAC – Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center with Wyatt McCubbin August 13 – Wantagh, New York – Jones Beach Amphitheater with Marty Stuart  August 20 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – PPG Paints Arena with Marcus King August 21 – Allentown, Pennsylvania – PPL Center August 22 – Bangor, Maine – Maine Savings Bank Amphitheater with Marcus King August 28 – Gilford, New Hampshire – BankNH Pavilion with Marcus KingThe post Mark Chesnutt Says He Was “Floored” When He First Heard Zach Top: “Finally, Somebody’s Speaking My Language Again” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.