• From A Room Volume 2 Songs

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Chris Stapleton
From A Room: Volume 1
(Mercury Nashville)

Chris Stapleton’s “From A Room: Volume 1” is not in any literal sense a Willie Nelson tribute record, but at times it sure feels like one. That’s not just because Stapleton did pick a somewhat forgotten old Willie hit as the one outside song choice for this, his sophomore release, or because he has Nelson’s highly recognizable harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, tooting along at regular intervals. It’s more about how many of these originals have the loose, ramshackle-poetry feel of anthems Willie would’ve cut if they’d been written 40 years earlier.

There’s also, not incidentally, the fact that Stapleton came along in 2015 and almost instantaneously established himself as the first country star that pretty much all of America could agree to agree about since a certain weed-smoking, braided Buddha became our favorite genre-transcending uniter. “From A Room: Volume 1,” arriving two years to the day after the first appearance of Stapleton’s two-million-selling “Traveller,” cements the singer’s status as the old-soul upstart — 39 going on 84 — who, like his predecessor, may be the sole representative of country music in a few hundred thousand record collections.

But focusing just on the Willie comparison neglects other things Stapleton happens to be good at, such as singing like an old-school soul man and playing the Fender Jazzmaster just like ringing a bell. Once “From A Room” has opened with a few tracks that surprisingly skew a bit closer to traditional country than the mostly Southern-rock-based “Traveller” did, he spends the second half of the record focused on his lesser recognized side as a semi-hardcore bluesman. So, basically, we’re talking about a Willie Nelson with the pipes of a Paul Rodgers and hands of a Freddie King. (In case there’s any doubt, that is an endorsement.)

“Traveller” hasn’t left the top 30 since Stapleton first pierced the national consciousness by duetting with Justin Timberlake at the CMA Awards a year and a half ago — will “From A Room” reach similar peaks? Not likely, but the “Volume 1” part of the title — and its nine-song, 33-minute length — almost seem like a hedge against any sophomore-letdown discussions: Hey, if it doesn’t measure up, it’s only half of the follow-up to his mega-hit (with “Volume 2” coming in the fall). But, leaving aside the leave-‘em-wanting-more part, it’s just as solid as its predecessor, and there’s something to be said about working this many hard-luck love stories, stoner chuckles, mortal laments, and blazing licks into a pre-CD-length half-hour.

The album finally affords fans the chance to pick up, “I Was Wrong,” a slow burner Stapleton has been playing on the road for years, and a blues chaser that John Mayer would sever his best callouses for. Though he usually holds back the full-throttle melisma that could distort your speakers at any moment, Stapleton does understand when the time is right to turn “I” into a nine-syllable word, and this particular penance is the place for it. He takes the tail out from between his legs and indulges in a lighter form of the blues with “Them Stems,” a shuffle about being so destitute and dope-poor that you’re smoking ‘em even if you don’t got ‘em. And what could follow that but the deep, dark, penitentiary-set “Death Row,” which may or may not describe a near-future when Jeff Sessions has had his way on weed.

From A Room Volume 2 Songs

The more ‘70s-country-esque front half of the record veers from the sobriety of “Broken Halos,” a lament for the dearly departed, to “Up to No Good Livin’,” a steel guitar-driven, seriocomic study of how hard it is to live down an old hard-living even after an outlaw has been through the program. “Second One to Know,” as heard in Stapleton’s second slot on “Saturday Night Live,” is the one outright rocker here, but it starts to fade out after two and a half minutes, it has a bit too much economy for its own good.

The cover of Willie’s 1982 No. 2 hit, “Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning,” is a triumphal example of old-school hangdog country. But Stapleton saves the serious heartache for “Either Way,” a quiet masterpiece that’s one of the most boldly and bitterly descriptive divorce songs ever written. It’s such a courageous choice for a first single at country radio that you wonder if the marketing department just said, “This thing is going to sell with or without country radio, so … what the hell?” When was the last time a major label gave country radio a single consisting of just voice and acoustic guitar, with a sentiment so bleak it might’ve made Hank himself suggest Stapleton “bro” it up? But his scarily raw vocals do induce chills, which might make this seemingly wildly uncommercial pick a useful summer single after all.

You could wish that after all this anticipation Stapleton had offered fans a heftier dose of material at once, but there’s something about a slightly shorter, old-LP vein that befits his humility. Country has been holding out for a hero so long, even a display of superpowers as modest as “From A Room” feels epic enough.

From A Room: Volume 2 is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton, released on December 1, 2017, through Mercury Nashville.^[2] Produced by Dave Cobb and Stapleton, the album comprises a range of music styles, including country, Southern rock and Southern soul. Commercially, it debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200. It received a nomination for Best Country Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, with the single 'Millionaire' being nominated for Best Country Solo Performance.^[3]

• 3Critical reception
• 8Charts

Background[edit]

Stapleton released From A Room: Volume 1 in May 2017, and confirmed the release of Volume 2 for later that year.^[4] Like its predecessor, the album takes its name from Nashville's RCA Studio A, where the recording sessions took place. The album tracks 'Tryin' to Untangle My Mind', 'Hard Livin' and 'Midnight Train to Memphis' have been featured in his All-American Road Show Tour prior to the release. The latter song was previously recorded by his former band The SteelDrivers. The album opens with a cover of Kevin Welch's 'Millionaire', and closes with a cover of Homer Banks and Lester Snell's 'Friendship,' previously recorded by Pops Staples.^[5] The tracks 'Millionaire', 'Scarecrow in the Garden' and 'Tryin' to Untangle My Mind' were released as a promotional singles with the album preorder on October 20, November 4 and 17, respectively.^[6][7][8]

Music and themes[edit]

—Stapleton in an interview with NPR on re-recording 'Midnight Train to Memphis' for the album.^[9]

A Kentucky.com music journalist stated traditional country and Southern soul 'play into the record equally.'^[10] For a Rolling Stone reviewer the Americana album comprises country, folk, blues, Southern rock and soul.^[11] The opening track 'Millionaire' is a mid-tempo soul-influenced heartland rock ballad driven by acoustic guitar, lyrically about 'spare love' and appreciating relationship closeness over material wealth, with his wife and music collaborator Morgane on background vocals.^[12][6][13] The Southern rock track 'Hard Livin' comprises phase-shifted guitar riff, with a Rolling Stone writer comparing it to Traveller's 'Nobody to Blame'.^[13]

Featuring Celtic-sounding verses, the ballad 'Scarecrow in the Garden' tells the story of an heir of a West Virginia farm, who laments bad times not allowing him to enjoy the same prosperity of his ancestors, an immigrant family from Northern Ireland.^[13][7] The narrator in the bluesy rock and traditional country song 'Tryin' to Untangle My Mind' confesses his past habits of drinking whiskey, dating women and spending all his little money.^[8] 'Nobody's Lonely Tonight' is a slow soul ballad about looking for some comfort after giving up on love.^[13][14] 'A Simple Song' was written with Darrell Hayes, Stapleton's father-in-law, where the narrator is heartened by his family's presence while dealing with quotidian struggle.^[14] Lyrically, 'Midnight Train to Memphis' is about a person that gets to listen to the train's rumbling sound every day of his time in prison.^[13] Delivered alone, 'Drunkard's Prayer' finds the singer playing the part of a broken, lonely man who wants to change and seeks for forgiveness.^[14] The cover of the song 'Friendship' is a country soul track,^[12] that differs from the original for its R&B influences, 'deeper' groves and guitar tremolo.^[10][13]

Critical reception[edit]

From A Room: Volume 2 received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 80 out of 100, which indicates 'generally favorable reviews' based on nine reviews.^[15]

Writing for NPR, Jewly Hight noted Stapleton 'chose several songs that dwell on, even savor, meaningful attachments', listing as examples 'Millionaire', 'A Simple Song', 'Friendship' and 'Scarecrow in the Garden'. Compared to Volume 1, Hight opined that its emotional center 'lies elsewhere.' She concluded saying 'folding these songs into his repertoire lends greater emotional weight to his entire body of work. Wise and sensitive storyteller that he is, he knows that deprivation and loss are felt the most deeply when it's clear what's at stake.'^[12] Robert Crawford of Rolling Stone described it as 'lean and live-sounding' while 'Stapleton's voice remains as titanic ever, but on these nine tracks, he packs an equally sized punch as both picker and bandleader.'^[13] Also from the music magazine, Will Hermes compared it to Volume 1 and opined, 'the band's the same but leaner, stripped to guitars, bass, drums and Stapleton's mighty voice, with harmonies by his wife, Morgane, smartly moved up in the mix. Again, the songs feel like unearthed classics.'^[18]

Reviewers from The A.V. Club opined 'Stapleton's gravelly vocals sell his own openly emotive songs like no one else could,' adding that he 'runs the gamut of emotions and genres, traveling from the hard-rocking rumination on the difficulties of 'Hard Livin' to the minimalist blues of 'Nobody's Lonely Tonight.'^[17] Writing for Variety, Chris Willman called it the second-best country album of the year, only behind Stapleton's own Volume 1.^[22] Terence Cawley in The Boston Globe said the songs were 'expertly crafted.'^[23] Mike Davies in Folk Radio UK called 'Scarecrow In The Garden' the best song in the album, followed by 'Drunkard’s Prayer'.^[24]Stephen M. Deusner from Pitchfork noted Volume 2 'leavens its heavier moments with songs that celebrate the simple joys of love and marriage and family, without lapsing into sentimentality.'^[20] For Kentucky.com, Walter Tunis summarized his review writing 'Stapleton's vivid, unvarnished musical portraits are already striking in ways that distinguish him from pretty much any of his country contemporaries.'^[10] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said it is 'a collection of moments, just like Vol. 1, but that's the charm of Vol. 2,' and opined that without 'crafting a major statement' the songs 'work on their own terms.'^[16]

Accolades[edit]

*Along with From A Room: Volume 1

Commercial performance[edit]

From A Room: Volume 2 debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 125,000 album-equivalent units, of which 116,000 were in pure album sales. With Volume 1, which also opened at number 2, Stapleton is the first country act to score two top-two charting albums in a calendar year on the Billboard 200 since Luke Bryan in 2013.^[31] On the charts dated February 10, 2018, Traveller, From A Room: Volume 1, and Volume 2 held the top-three spots on Top Country Albums, making Stapleton the third artist ever to do so, the others being Garth Brooks in 1992 and Charlie Rich in 1974.^[32] It was certified Gold in the US in April 2018,.^[33] and has sold 513,000 copies domestically as of April 2019.^[34]

Awards[edit]

Track listing[edit]

Track listing adapted from the iTunes Store.^[37]

Personnel[edit]

Credits for From A Room: Volume 2 adapted from AllMusic.^[38]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Release history[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Country > Future Releases'. All Access. Archived from the original on April 15, 2018.
2. ^Watts, Cindy (October 14, 2017). 'Chris Stapleton Announces Next Album in Nashville'. The Tenneseean. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
3. ^ ^ab'2019 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominations List'. The Recording Academy. December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
4. ^Watts, Cindy (April 5, 2017). 'Chris Stapleton reveals 2 new albums in 2017'. The Tennessean. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
5. ^Gage, Jeff (October 16, 2017). 'Chris Stapleton Details New Album 'From A Room: Volume 2''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
6. ^ ^abGage, Jeff (October 20, 2017). 'Hear Chris Stapleton's Soulful New Song 'Millionaire''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
7. ^ ^abGage, Jeff (November 3, 2017). 'Hear Chris Stapleton's Haunting New Song 'Scarecrow in the Garden''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
8. ^ ^abBetts, Stephen L. (November 17, 2017). 'Hear Chris Stapleton's Bluesy New Song 'Tryin' to Untangle My Mind''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
9. ^Shapiro, Ari (December 1, 2017). 'Chris Stapleton Dives Into His Archives For 'From A Room: Volume 2''. NPR. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
10. ^ ^abcTunis, Walter (November 27, 2017). 'Did Chris Stapleton make two brilliant albums in 2017? 'Vol. 2' is out Friday'. Kentucky.com. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
11. ^'10 New Albums to Stream Now: U2, Neil Young and More Editors' Picks'. Rolling Stone. December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
12. ^ ^abcHight, Jewly (November 23, 2017). 'First Listen: Chris Stapleton, 'From A Room: Volume 2''. NPR. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
13. ^ ^abcdefgCrawford, Robert (November 30, 2017). 'Chris Stapleton's 'From A Room: Volume 2': Track-by-Track Guide'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
14. ^ ^abcMooney, Thomas (December 1, 2017). 'Chris Stapleton's 'From A Room: Volume 2': Essential Track-By-Track Guide'. Wide Open Country. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
15. ^ ^abc'Reviews and Tracks from From A Room: Volume 2 by Chris Stapleton'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
16. ^ ^abErlewine, Stephen Thomas (December 1, 2017). 'AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine'. AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
17. ^ ^abModell, Josh; Ihnat, Gwen; Garner, Marty Sartini (December 1, 2017). 'Here are 3 new albums you should know about this week'. The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
18. ^ ^abHermes, Will (December 1, 2017). 'Review: Chris Stapleton, One of Country's Hottest Names, Makes It a Double'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
19. ^Bell, Josh (December 7, 2017). 'Chris Stapleton's 'From a Room: Volume 2' Plays Like A Solid Odds And Sods'. Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
20. ^ ^abDeusner, Stephen M. (December 10, 2017). 'Chris Stapleton From A Room: Volume 2'. Pitchfork. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
21. ^Thiessen, Christopher (December 15, 2017). 'Chris Stapleton: From A Room, Vol. 2'. PopMatters. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
22. ^Willman, Chris (December 5, 2017). 'Album Review: Chris Stapleton's 'From a Room: Volume 2''. Variety. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
23. ^Cawley, Terence (December 7, 2017). 'A merry month of new music'. The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
24. ^Davies, Mike (December 5, 2017). 'Chris Stapleton – From A Room: Volume 2'. Folk Radio UK. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
25. ^'The 25 Best Albums of 2017'. Entertainment Weekly. December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
26. ^Varga, George (December 28, 2017). 'From Tom Petty to Jay-Z and Metallica, 2017 a heady year for concerts, plus our albums of the year'. San Diego Union-Tribun. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
27. ^'The 10 Best Country Albums Of 2017'. Stereogum. December 18, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
28. ^'All The Best Albums Of 2017, Ranked'. Uproxx. December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
29. ^'The 20 Best Albums of 2017'. Variety. December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
30. ^'The 30 Best Albums of 2017'. Vinyl Me, Please. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
31. ^ ^abCaulfield, Keith (December 10, 2017). 'U2 Scores Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Songs of Experience''. Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
32. ^Asker, Jim (February 6, 2018). 'Chris Stapleton Is First Artist to Hold Top Three Spots on Top Country Albums Chart Since Garth Brooks in 1992'. Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
33. ^ ^ab'American album certifications – Chris Stapleton – From A Room: Volume 1'. Recording Industry Association of America.If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
34. ^ ^abBjorke, Matt (April 15, 2019). 'Top 10 Country Albums Chart: April 15, 2019'. Roughstock. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
35. ^McCarthy, Kelly (August 28, 2018). '2018 CMA Awards nominations: See the full list'. ABC News. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
36. ^Paulson, Dave (November 11, 2018). 'SESAC Nashville Awards: Matt McGinn named Songwriter of the Year'. Tennessean. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
37. ^'From A Room: Volume 2'. iTunes (US). 2017.
38. ^'From A Room: Volume 2 - Chris Stapleton — Songs, Reviews, Credits'. AllMusic. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
39. ^'Australiancharts.com – Chris Stapleton – From A Room - Volume 2'. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
40. ^'Chris Stapleton Chart History (Canadian Albums)'. Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
41. ^'Dutchcharts.nl – Chris Stapleton – From A Room - Volume 2' (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
42. ^'NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart'. Recorded Music NZ. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
43. ^'Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
44. ^'Swisscharts.com – Chris Stapleton – From A Room - Volume 2'. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
45. ^'Official Albums Chart Top 100'. Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
46. ^'Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2018'. Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
47. ^'From A Room: Volume 2'. Amazon. 2017.
48. ^'From A Room: Volume 2 [LP]'. Amazon. 2017.
49. ^'From A Room: Volume 2 [LP]'. Amazon. 2017.

External links[edit]

• Chris Stapleton's channel on YouTube