So much is made about Chase Bryant's guitar playing style (upside down and backwards) that what's truly remarkable about his debut single 'Take It on Back' gets lost. This Texan can pick, but man can he ever sing!

Bryant was a uniquely confident 20-something before he was tapped to open for Brantley Gilbert (last fall) and Tim McGraw (this summer). The Red Bow Records recording artist told Taste of Country he set out to be different with his guitar playing style, but offers a sort of "Aw, shucks" response when his vocal power is praised. Bryan Adams, Radney Foster and Stevie Nicks influenced his singing.

“And Jerry Lee Lewis was a huge influence for vocals, because man, every time you watch him play he’d go for something, and he didn’t care if he was gonna hit it or he wasn't," he says. "That crowd was stuck on him like tape."

Chase Bryant
Jason Merritt, Getty Images
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Country music is in Bryant's genes. His uncle was a part of the '90s country group Ricochet. His dad raised him on the classics, meaning George Strait, Merle Haggard and Conway Twitty. He also calls Keith Urban an influence, which most people would guess after spending five minutes in a room with him.

Bryant's debut is scheduled for 2015, but even though he's just 22 years old, the recording process is hardly new to him. After high school he moved to Los Angeles and recorded some music. After three years he's finally begun to find himself -- with a lot of help from friends.

“I feel like I’ve surrounded myself with a team and a group of people and a co-producer and writers and people that helped me find me as a person and an artist," he says. "If somebody ever said, ‘Do you know Chase Bryant?' You could put ‘Take It on Back’ on or you could put on my record and go, ‘This is him.’”

Good music does not always make a star, but Bryant has that special quality about him that sets him apart. It's quiet confidence. He carries himself like a superstar-in-waiting, but that doesn't mean he's country's next male diva. Quite the contrary -- the likable singer and guitarist has been influenced by Strait in more ways than one. He's self-assured, but humble in talking to fans and media.

Watch Chase Bryant Perform 'Take It on Back'

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