Chris Stapleton
has become a critically acclaimed mainstay of modern country music. Just as his 2015 debut album Traveller was being anointed as one of the definitive country masterpieces of the 2010s, he was reinventing himself entirely. In 2020, Stapleton started over on the album Starting Over which took an even more defined narrative and often quite uncommercial focus. Regardless the album was a smash hit with basically everyone that heard it. With his status firmly cemented, Higher had every opportunity to be a victory lap.
Review by Lav:
I still considered myself a Chris Stapleton skeptic in 2020. I liked his music but I didn't LOVE it. Starting Over changed that. The album featured the dynamic musings of a truly compelling songwriter presented with the raw grime and intensity of great country and folk music. So to say I was excited for a follow-up would be an understatement, especially after I liked all of the singles a lot. While the album is plenty good, and better than what a lot of Stapleton's contemporaries are serving up, it still fails to really stick the landing like his best work.
The first half (ish) of this album is nearly perfect. That starts with the album's three singles, all of which I really like. White Horse came first and it was a perfect lead single to build up excitement. It's a ripping heartland rock epic with Stapleton putting some serious muscle behind his words on a hook that just fucking rocks.
Next came Think I'm In Love With You. If you like the other great Chris Stapleton single You Should Probably Leave and wanted to hear that exact song but from a more earnest and romantic perspective then this is for you, and it's just as good as you're hoping. My favorite of the bunch might be It Takes A Women. It's a sweet ballad that takes its time meandering to such a satisfying emotional chorus. I love Chris music on the idea that only a woman can see the best parts of him and help him be the best man he can be and the way he performs it makes every word feel like a genuine revelation.
The first half of the album does have its moments that I think are just fine. Trust doesn't blow me away but there's nothing wrong with it, it's well written and performed I just don't think it necessarily does anything special. I feel pretty similarly about Loving You On My Mind as well which is a steady love song that mostly leans into some warm guitar sounds.
But for the most part the first half of this album keeps up the quality of the singles. Opening track What Am I Gonna Do is a fascinating way to start the album asking the question of what happens once you're finally able to move on from a relationship. It's such a compelling approach to writing a breakup song because it stick around for much longer in the process than most and I think it circles back around really well into the romance that inspires much of the album.
The second half of the album certainly isn't bad, but it definitely features the kind of rut that Stapleton is normally pretty good at avoiding on his records. Higher is the first song I'm not crazy about. I think Chris reaching into his upper register robs the refrains of some of their impact and that the song unfolds agonizingly slowly. Crosswind is probably the most forgettable song on the entire album and no matter how many times I listen I can't really summon much to say about it.
The Day I Die is another just fine cut. It features more heart-rearing angst and love which is cute and Chris sells it well but the track is thematically outclassed by much of what else is here. The one song I do like a lot from this portion of the album is The Bottom (haha). After pulling my dumb brain out of laughing at the name of the song I grew to like it pretty quickly, the song has a great build and I love the supporting vocals that come in to elevate everything.
Thankfully the album does close with a pretty compelling pair of tracks. Weight Of Your World is a sort of ode to responsibility. I love the way Chris frames his love by being someone who is so dependable that it becomes a point of pride for him. It's sweet and pairs perfectly with the sentiment of It Takes A Woman. Closing track Mountains Of My Mind is a surprising turn for the finale of the record that sees Chris looking internally. It's almost like he spends so much of the album channeling his feelings outward and takes one last opportunity to reflect right at the conclusion.
Higher isn't perfect and I think I prefer it's predecessor, but that's a debate between two of the highest class of country music in this decade so far. For the tiny faults this album has it more than makes up for it with plenty of deeply compelling moments of songwriting and storytelling that you just can't get from anyone else in the genre. This album certainly, COMFORTABLY, proves that Chris Stapleton is still leaps and bounds ahead of most of his contemporaries. 7.5/10
For more great country music check out my review of Zach Bryan's Zach Bryan