Gorgeous New Country-Rock: Traveller

Wed, 07/01/2015 - 9:23am by eapearce

Chris Stapleton’s first solo album, Traveller, has earned critical acclaim, particularly from NPR Music. Featured on NPR earlier this month, Traveller has now been ranked in the top 25 albums of 2015 so far by the organization. I think this honor is more than well-deserved! Stapleton’s story is a fascinating one. Born and raised in Kentucky, Stapleton dropped out of college and was driving an ice truck and playing music locally in the evenings. After encouragement from friends and fellow musicians passing through, Stapleton finally bit the bullet and moved to Nashville, where he began working as a songwriter for artists like Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker. One of the first songs that he wrote, “Nobody’s Fool,” was ultimately recorded by Miranda Lambert. Stapleton also lent his voice as backing vocals to many songs, but couldn’t seem to break out on his own as a solo act. He even recorded an entire album a few years ago, but his label declined to release it.

Traveller is the result of his final chance in the studio—or rather, what likely would have been his final chance if Traveller had proved a lesser album. Morgan Hayes, Stapleton’s wife, who sings harmony on the album, says that she can tell that Traveller came from a “deeper place” inside of Stapleton. The songs focus on common country themes: heartbreak, homesickness and hangovers, but the lyrics are well-crafted and, to borrow a line from one of the cover tracks, “as smooth as Tennessee whiskey.” Traveller is truly a beautiful album, and worth a listen even for those who don't usually enjoy country music.