Chris Stapleton Album Review

John Stone Magazine

Review: Chris Stapleton Does It Again, But Better

By Shauna Porter                                                           

November 5, 2017

            Chris Stapleton rose to stardom in 2015 with the release of the George Jones cover, “Tennessee Whiskey,” off of the album, Traveller. The album was a success and was nominated for and won multiple awards including the Grammy for Best Country Album.  As with most successful freshman albums go, this one did not disappoint, but there is a pressure that comes with the success… being able to deliver an equally or more successful sophomore album, and he does just that.

           

            The new ealbum, From A Room: Volume 1 has an eclectic sound, from “Up to No Good Livin’,” which has the traditional country sound. The kind you hear in a honky-tonk, smoke in the air, men leading the women around the dance floor with just one hand on the back of their necks, to “I Was Wrong,” a bluesy/funk sound. A song that could be heard in an old shack off of a dirt road on the outskirts of a southern town, reminiscent of B.B. King.

            The album puts Stapleton’s amazing voice front and center. Instruments you normally hear in abundance on a country album; steel guitar, harmonica, drums, etc. are sparse at best. Stapleton’s gritty voice sounds the best when he is singing about heartbreak. You almost don’t want him to be happy so you can enjoy songs like “Either Way,” another cover, this time by Lee Ann Womack. He stays true to the heart of the song, just like he did with George Jones, “Tennessee Whiskey,” but put his own genius spin on the song to make it his own.

 “Either Way,” is the crown jewel of the album. It’s just him and his guitar, no background vocals by his talented wife, no extra instruments. The first time I heard this song, I immediately Googled “Breakup of Chris Stapleton and wife” because there was no way he could sing like that and still be married. I was 100% mistaken. Stapleton has a way of making you feel every word and note sung to the very core. His voice is raw and smoldering, there is a sadness to it. It erupts in the chorus and rips your heart out.

The things Stapleton sings about are real and raw, just like his incredible voice. He runs the gamut on subject matter in the album from singing about getting high, death row, love, and heartbreak, to the stereotypical subject matter country singers are know for, that of religion and everything going to shit in your life. I call it the “My dog left me” song.  I felt these two songs were a little out of place.

Even though this album is a country album, it has a more nontraditional country sound right up until the two songs, “Broken Halos” and “Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Mornin’.” The album is genius musically and lyrically and to put these two songs in seems to try to balance out the nontraditional country sound for the hard-core country fans. But even with that, there is no mistaking Stapleton puts his heart and soul into everything he writes and sings. He is releasing From A Room: Volume 2 soon and the anticipation is killing me. I have no doubt it     will be just as good.