Chris Stapleton announces his fifth studio album, higher, which will be available November 10 through Mercury Nashville. As a preview, he also shared the record’s first single, “White Horse.” Listen to the song below.
Produced by Stapleton with his wife Morgan Stapleton and his longtime collaborator Dave Cobb, higher is the 45-year-old country star’s first record of 2020 start from scratch. According to a press release, the 14-song album will “span across genres beyond easy categorization”. Pre-orders are underway.
The single “White Horse” certainly showed that Stapleton was playing to his strengths as a cross-genre performer. Lyrics about cowboys “riding into the sunset” create a classic country vibe, but the electric guitar-driven arrangement feels akin to straight rock, with thick walls of sound providing powerful harmonic progression and a guitar solo closer to Lynyrd Skynyrd than Chet Atkins. All the while, Stapleton’s crisp, high-pitched voice could go head-to-head with any powerhouse artist who usually tops the pop charts. Play the song below.
Even before the announcement of this new album, Stapleton has had a busy year. In February, he sang the national anthem at Super Bowl LVII.Then, in May, he appeared in the Disney+ musical series muppets mayhem. Last month, he appeared on Carly Pearce’s new single titled “We Don’t Fight Anymore.”
Stapleton is also currently on his “National Roadshow” tour, which started in March and will continue until the end of October. Check out the full list of dates, and get tickets here.
higher artwork:
higher Track list:
01. What am I going to do
02. South Dakota
03. Trust
04. Need a woman
05. Fire
06. Think I Love You
07. Love you in my heart
08. White horse
09. Higher
10. Bottom
11. The Day I Die
12. Cross wind
13. The Weight of Your World
14. Mountains in my heart
