Chris Stapleton is without a doubt one of the most talented artists in music right now. With a prolific catalogue of hits for other artists and plenty of his own hits, Stapleton has had a meteoric rise over the last five years since the release of his debut album āTravellerā. That album was certified 4x Platinum and in 2017 Stapleton followed it up with the two-part album āFrom A Roomā. We last saw him on UK shows in 2019 when he headlined C2C: Country to Country and now Stapleton is releasing his eagerly-awaited fourth album (or third if you count āFrom a Roomā as one release) āStarting Overā.
An artist who needs no frills, Stapleton always succeeds on the strength of his vocals and his songwriting. As with all his albums, there are a few covers thrown into the mix on āStarting Overā ā John Fogertyās āJoy of My Lifeā and Guy Clarkās āWorry B Goneā and āOld Friendsā ā but the other 11 tracks are new tracks written by Stapleton with various collaborators. The album opens with the acoustic lead single, and title track, āStarting Overā and itās a nice connector to his previous albums. Stapletonās voice is one that captivates you immediately and with a sparse backing and his wife Morgane on harmony vocals, he really shines as he sings about making it through life with someone who loves and supports you.
The rock influences kick in on the riff-driven āDevil Always Made Me Think Twiceā, a song Iām already dying to hear in a live arena (remember gigs, anyone?!?). The deep groove and foot-stomping beat reels you in and doesnāt let you go until the song is over. āColdā is the albumās first (of many) standout moments. Itās classic Stapleton putting his gut-wrenching vocal right in the centre of everything. Thereās something about his voice that just transports you to a different place and it moves every single part of your soul. Few artists are able to do that but Stapleton makes it look easy.
Highlights on the album include the hard rocking āArkansasā, which features gritty vocals and crunchy electric guitars, the 70s almost-Fleetwood Mac-esque āHillbilly Bloodā and the hard-hitting truth-telling of āWatch You Burnā, which takes aim at the people responsible for the various atrocities that have taken place in America over the past few years. My absolute favourite moment on the record comes on āMaggieās Songā, an ode to Stapletonās late dog. Itās surprisingly emotional, heartwarming and justā¦ well, lovely. As a dog lover, it hit me in all the right places.
In the albumās final stretch Stapleton injects a bit of loose Blues into āYou Should Probably Leaveā, a surprisingly funky moment, and he closes the album with the beautiful āNashville, TNā, a song that sees him breaking up with Music City.
Quite frankly āStarting Overā is flawless. Thereās nothing here to pick fault with; thereās no filler and every song deserves its place here. Stapleton is a once-in-a-lifetime talent and while some of his critics may moan about his stage presence, Iād happily sit anywhere and listen to him perform. A master of his craft, Stapleton is the best there is in Country music and to be honest, any genre of music. āStarting Overā is his finest album yet and itāll increase his ever-growing fan base even further.
Track listing: 1. Starting Over 2. Devil Always Made Me Think Twice 3. Cold 4. When Iām With You 5. Arkansas 6. Joy of My Life 7. Hillbilly Blood 8. Maggieās Song 9. Whiskey Sunrise 10. Worry B Gone 11. Old Friends 12. Watch You Burn 13. You Should Probably Leave 14. Nashville, TN Record label: Decca Records Release date: 13th November 2020 Buy ‘Starting Over’ now
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