American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton seemingly came out of nowhere with his smash hit debut album Traveller, which was nominated for the Grammy for Album of the Year and won the Grammy for Best Country Album at the 58th Grammy Awards in 2016. It was also named Album of the Year at the 2015 Country Music Association Awards and has been certified quadruple platinum, shifting well over 2.5 million copies since its release. Not bad for a debut from a previously unknown performer, eh?

But for Stapleton, who looks every bit the archetypal country outlaw with his long hair, beard and trusty Stetson, it had been a long time coming. As a young man, Stapleton relocated to Nashville from his home town of Staffordsville, Kentucky to pursue a career in music, and after the best part of a decade and a half slogging it out with various country and bluegrass projects, the overnight success of Traveller must have been difficult to process.

Stapleton though has always exuded a quiet confidence and comfort with his creative choices. In the authenticity obsessed world of country music, he was perfectly comfortable writing with Justin Timberlake for the former NSYNC stars 2018 album Man of the Woods, and he performs with his wife Morgane Stapleton, with whom he has five children. He is, then, a country star every bit in touch with the man on the street.

Starting Over marks his fourth studio album, and in keeping with this ethos, it is a spectacularly natural record. Lead single Starting Over is beautifully compelling, and the perfect vehicle for Stapleton’s rich, gravelly vocals and the way in which they’re complemented by Morgane’s own. Cold is a brooding, atmospheric storm of a track, with swirling violins and Stapleton’s guttural, rasping delivery, while Arkansas raises the tempo with some thrilling rock riffs and lyrics (“Gotta get down, gotta get down to Arkansas / Havin' so much fun that it's probably a little bit against the law”).

You Should Probably Leave is a slick number, a sultry guitar lick layered over a simple drum beat that gives a very rhythm and blues feel, while Watch You Burn is a devastating affair written in response to the horrific Las Vegas music festival shooting in 2017 (“Only a coward would pick up a gun / And shoot up a crowd trying to have fun / Now the Vegas lights, they won’t lose their glow / And the band will play and go on with the show / And you’re gonna get your turn… / Devil gonna watch you burn”). It’s a testament to Stapleton’s incredible ability as a songwriter that he can create something so painful, but also something as beautiful as closing balled Nashville, TN. There are also three covers nestled among Starting Over’s fourteen songs too, including two tracks from Guy Clark, but the pick is John Fogarty’s sweet Joy Of My Life. It seems there’s nothing Stapleton can’t turn his hand to.

Starting Over tracklist:

1. Starting Over

2. Devil Always Made Me Think Twice

3. Cold

4. When I’m With You

5. Arkansas

6. Joy Of My Life

7. Hillbilly Blood

8. Maggie’s Song

9. Whiskey Sunrise

10. Worry B Gone

11. Old Friends

12. Watch You Burn

13. You Should Probably Leave

14. Nashville, TN

Watch the official video for Starting Over here.

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.