This second solo album by Chris Stapleton, From A Room: Volume 1 has already been hailed as something the fans of ‘good old country’ should rejoice about. If that is so, then I’m under the impression that the tastes of country fans have quite broadened in recent times. Well, actually, they probably broadened quite a long time ago and some people have misconceptions of what country music is and is not. You see, Chris Stapleton has been a songwriter (nominally from Nashville) for a while and has written for everybody from Alison Krauss to Adele. And after all, Country music has been incorporating other music styles long before some of its fans have been born. And all this shows in From A Room: Volume 1 (I guess Volume 2 is coming up soon).
Those with memories a bit longer than their shadows (me included) remember such country/soul gems created by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham like Nobody’s Fool, or Do Right Man Chris Stapleton is on the right track here to reach such great heights. Stapleton is not only a great musician that came out of bluegrass tradition but somebody who possesses such a soulful voice that is adept to almost any musical style. And stylistically he covers such a wide territory. The introductory Broken Halos is just an indicator of the musical field Stapleton covers, while the only cover here, Willie Nelson’s Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning is given that true soulful treatment. Second Thing To Know takes us into the Allman Brothers territory, while Either Way is simply soul, no doubt about it. And the two closers, Them Stems and Death Row are soulful blues and pure blues alternatively (yes, Chris, smoking those stems in the morning can be a bummer, and being on a death row, definitely).
The two mentioned closers also negate that sometimes expressed misconception that lyrics in country songs are usually throaways. Obviously Chris Stapleton is not only good with singing and the instruments he plays but also has his way with words and knows how to express them. All in all, if you ever wanted to know what modern country music sounds like but were afraid to listen, here’s your chance. No disappointments here.
