Grammy winner Chris Stapleton is often portrayed as a timeless figure in country music, and that’s mostly because of his work itself—it seems like it could exist in any era. But with his new album, Starting Over, the Kentucky native captures a pivot point in history.
Although it was finished just before COVID-19 changed the world last spring, Starting Over finds Stapleton offering a roadmap for personal change in its aftermath. Fourteen new songs highlight a desire to step off the too-fast treadmill of modern life, and in the process continue his streak of authentic, against-the-grain country music.
Out November 13 on Mercury Records Nashville, the project marks Stapleton’s fourth studio album, following the 2017 double set From a Room ( Volumes 1 and 2) and his 2015 breakout, Traveller. Each of those found critics and fans celebrating Stapleton’s bourbon-blowtorch vocals and knack for gritty, throwback-style country that nods to the outlaw generation—and in that respect Starting Over follows suit.
Created once again with first-take specialist Dave Cobb in historic RCA Studio A, the album’s sound is another bold, organic mix of influence, all rooted in the rural landscape. Pure-country waltzes and raw roadhouse rockers stand alongside bluesy ballads and swampy R&B, with a little something different on each track. But as satisfying as it is, especially for those seeking alternatives to the beat-driven singles of recent years, Stapleton’s eclectic sound is almost a given at this point. What makes Starting Over unique is its emotional center.
Cowriting 11 songs and looking inward with vivid clarity, Stapleton cuts through the tangled jungle of pre-COVID life like a machete, clearing a new path forward.
Opening track and first single “Starting Over” lays the groundwork, with Stapleton and his wife Morgane harmonizing over spirit-lifting acoustic guitars. As frequent collaborators, the couple are often seen onstage staring deep into each other’s eyes like a modern-day Johnny and June. And you can feel that connection here, too, as they promise to leave the past behind for a new life of their choosing.
That message of hope for something different is often reprised on Starting Over, and had the pandemic never happened, it would have sounded like a response to the touring musician’s forever-moving lifestyle. But now, it’s something more universal.
A sublime cover of John Fogerty’s “Joy of My Life” speaks to happiness found when everything else falls away, while the tender original “When I’m With You” takes comfort in a simple, family-man’s lifestyle.
“Forty years old / And it looks like the end of the rainbow ain’t no pot of gold,” sings the father of five, with just a hint of Willie Nelson-esque syncopation. “But when I’m with you / I feel like a dreamer that’s had all his dreams come true.”
Meanwhile, the muscular “Watch You Burn” stares daggers at those who revel in the chaos, deriding the intolerance that leads to barbaric acts of violence like the 2017 mass shooting at a country festival in Las Vegas. Guy Clark’s “Old Friends” quietly reflects on the things we won’t get back—even after the pandemic ends—and another Clark cover, “Worry B Gone,” seeks to ride out the storm in swaying style.
“Trouble in the air / Trouble in the water / People ain’t treating one another like they oughta / So give me just one more cup of that worry b’ gone.”
Although the album touches on less prophetic subjects, spending equal time with twangy staples like broken hearts, late nights, and mistakes made, Starting Over is an album that speaks to a very specific moment in time—whether it was intentional or not. And if you listen carefully, you might just find something like a COVID-19 recovery plan.