Chris Stapleton's powerhouse voice and award-winning songwriting returned on Nov. 13, 2020 with the release of his fourth studio album, Starting Over.
The title track accompanied the Aug. 2020 announcement of Stapleton's new album. Finished right before the coronavirus pandemic disrupted pretty much everything, the Stapleton and Mike Henderson co-write encourages listeners to cherish simple pleasures and count chances to press reset as blessings.
"[Stapleton] remains hopeful on 'Starting Over,' a song that, despite being written before the world went to hell in the spring, encapsulates our current moment," wrote Rolling Stone Country's Joseph Hudak in Aug. 202. "Yes, he admits, the road is long and hard, but with loved ones by our side — in his case, the indispensable life and music partner Morgane Stapleton — we'll get where we're going."
"Starting Over" is one of 11 Stapleton co-writes on the album. There's also three cover songs: John Fogerty's "Joys of Life" and Guy Clark's "Worry B Gone" and "Old Friends."
Stapleton worked once again with producer and acoustic guitar player Dave Cobb at Nashville's RCA Studio A, with additional work done at Muscle Shoals Sound and Compass Sound Studio.
The supporting cast included three of Stapleton's longtime bandmates: his wife, vocalist and tambourine player Morgane Stapleton plus bassist J.T. Cure and drummer Derek Mixon. They collaborate with pedal steel icon Paul Franklin and two members of Tom Petty's backing band The Heartbreakers: Hammond B3 organist Benmont Tench and electric guitarist Mike Campbell.
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Stapleton's three prior albums (Traveller (2015), From A Room: Volume 1 (2017) and From a Room: Volume 2 (2017)) all topped Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.
A little less than a year after the release of Starting Over, Stapleton vies for five awards, including Entertainer of the Year, at the 2021 CMA Awards (airing Nov. 10 on ABC).
Starting Over Tracklist
1. "Starting Over"
2. "Devil Always Made Me Think Twice"
3. When I'm With You"
4. "Arkansas"
5. "Joy Of My Life"
6. "Hillbilly Blood"
7. "Maggie's Song"
8. "Whiskey Sunrise"
9. "Worry B Gone"
10. "Old Friends"
11. "Watch You Burn" (Featuring special guests the All Voices Choir)
12. "You Should Probably Leave"
13. "Nashville, TN"
This story originally ran on Aug. 27, 2020.
