It has been about three years since country music singer and songwriter Chris Stapleton had released an album. In November of 2020, he released the album “Starting Over” since the release it has been a complete success. Most recently winning the Academy of Country Music (ACM) award for Album of the Year. 

The album’s lead track is headlined with the song “Starting Over”. Starting over is really what Stapleton is doing in this album with a title song that talks about Stapleton wanting to leave the bright lights of Nashville and travel with his wife. Stapleton sings about wanting to start over and go back to square one and he can be her lucky penny if she is his four-leafed clover. 

Stapleton is and always will be a staple in the country romance scene ever since he did his cover of “Tennessee Whiskey” in 2015. This album solidifies all that and much more. This album is home to four very good romance songs. The songs are “Starting Over,” “When I’m With You,” “Joy of my Life” and “You Should Probably Leave.”

What many country fans enjoy is how Stapleton can flip the switch and be so diverse with his music. While he can do the love songs, he can produce some good rock music as well. It may not be the type of rock music fans think of but it definitely is very hard hitting. 

Songs like “Arkansas”, “Devil Always Made Me Think Twice”, “Whiskey Sunrise” and my personal favorite “Watch You Burn” really bring out the rock side of Stapelton. 

While Stapleton may come off with a rock style voice and music in the song “Watch You Burn,” it is actually a very touching story telling song, something country music is known for. The song is full of emotion as he tells his story about the famous Las Vegas Concert Shooting of 2017. The concert was being held by Jason Aldean and tragically Stapleton had friends in the crowd of the event. The song goes on to tell his feelings towards the shooter.

Stapleton also features many great story telling songs in this album with songs like “Maggie’s Song”, and another love romance and the closing track “Nashville,TN”  to remind listeners just how much Nashville has affected Stapleton. 

The song “Nashville, TN” is a duet between Chris and his wife Morgane Stapleton and tells the story of how they met and how far they have come. It also talks about the struggles of Nashville and their farewell to Nashville. 

At the ACM awards broadcast, Stapleton played his song “Maggie’s Song”. The song is an absolute tear jerker for anyone who has ever had a dog. The song tells the story of Stapleton and his dog Maggie and how they had grown together and how he had to lay her to rest. The best lines of this album are found in this song in my opinion. 

“Run Maggie run. With the heart of a rebel child. Oh, run, Maggie, run. Be just as free as you are wild.” 

To me this comes off more as an expression of Stapleton saying more. Maggie may be free and a wild child but I believe Stapleton is the same way and Nashville has held him back from being that man.

Overall, the album is a smashing success. It is very hard as an avid country fan to find anything not to like about the album. Since the moment this album was released I knew this was going to be great. Now to say I knew it was going to be this great? I couldn’t even have predicted that. 

Rating: 5/5