Posted at 10:53 am.
He was the last person to perform at LASSO last summer, and it only took one song for everyone to understand why he was the highlight of the festival: Chris Stapleton has that extra soul that makes great singers. His songs, even when rooted in the obvious, have the sophistication of the greats.
The imposing bearded cowboy began his performance with White Horse, an epic piece with a rock power that we now find in the second half of his album Higher. This CD is, as we expected after listening to the first three excerpts, very varied. “It Takes A Woman” is a gospel-infused evening ballad, while “Think I’m in Love With You” has an irresistible groove.
The melody here is country. Except Chris Stapleton has nothing to do with Riley Green or Morgan Wallen, who are more anchored in the New Country style. However, he is not a traditionalist: he flirts with the spirit of rock, but not in its most commercial variations, unlike Luke Combs, and has a good blues background as well as soul and gospel influences. You can hear it everywhere: in his singing, of course, but also in his touching and effective guitar playing, even when he is sparing.
Higher also derives some of its power from its general reserve. Yes, there are choruses on this record that could fill a stadium, but above all there’s something internal, lived-in, tactile that keeps a song with a hackneyed theme (What Am I Gonna Do, which talks about “drowning”) still in the Able to convey a touching truth. Beneath that build and that bushy beard, this cowboy is very sensitive and that’s what touches us.
Excerpted from Think I’m in Love With You
country
Higher
Chris Stapleton
Mercury Nashville/Universal