Wikipedia

Starting Over (Chris Stapleton album)

Starting Over is the fourth studio album by American musician Chris Stapleton. The album was released on November 13, 2020, by Mercury Nashville.[1][2] At the 64th Grammy Awards it won the award for Best Country Album.[3]

Starting Over
Studio album by
Chris Stapleton
ReleasedNovember 13, 2020
Studio
GenreCountry
Length54:00
LabelMercury Nashville
Producer
Chris Stapleton chronology
From A Room: Volume 2
(2017) 		Starting Over
(2020) 		Higher
(2023)
Singles from Starting Over
  1. "Starting Over"
    Released: August 28, 2020
  2. "Cold"
    Released: September 25, 2020
  3. "You Should Probably Leave"
    Released: May 17, 2021
  4. "Joy of My Life"
    Released: March 22, 2022

Composition

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The singer-songwriter's fourth recording project consists of fourteen tracks produced with Dave Cobb, and features writing by John Fogerty, Mike Henderson, Mike Campbell, Susanna Clarke and Guy Clark.[4] Interviewed by Vulture Magazine, Stapleton said:[5] "There’s a lot on this record that I’m finding out, as I’m starting to talk about it a bit, was very reactionary and in the moment. On previous records, there was songwriting that probably took place in a working songwriter vacuum, that sat around for a number of years and found a purpose when it was time to make a record. [...] This project is much more about my current day-to-day life."

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [7]
American Songwriter     [8]
The Independent     [9]
PopMatters          [10]
Rolling Stone     [11]
Slant Magazine     [12]

Starting Over received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 81, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 10 reviews.[6]

Jonathan Bernstein of Rolling Stone reports that "Starting Over feels comfortable experimenting with whatever its author throws at it" as Stapleton "digs deep into familiar territory, spinning a fiery tale of liberation", finding it a "sincere tale".[11]

Chris Willman of Variety finds that "Starting Over is not intended to live up to its title; if anyone is so solid in his musical convictions that he could never try to reinvent himself, it's Stapleton. But it would be hard to consider an album that contains not just one but two Guy Clark covers that pay homage to one of Stapleton's songwriting heroes as banal".[13]

Jeremy Winograd of Slant Magazine finds the arrangements of the songs "sparse and uncluttered" leaving the singer-songwriter's voice "raw". Although he finds the vocal presence of his wife Morgane a testament to the songs' authenticity, he writes that "predictably, it only shifts his focus from love and tenderness to mild hedonism" finding them "largely limited".[12]

Awards

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Awards and nominations for Starting Over
Year Award Category Result Ref.
2021 Country Music Association Awards Album of the Year Won [14]
Academy of Country Music Awards Album of the Year Won [15]
2022 Grammy Awards Best Country Album Won [3]

Commercial performance

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Starting Over debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 selling 103,000 units in its first week.[16]

Track listing

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All tracks are produced by Dave Cobb and Chris Stapleton.

Starting Over track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Starting Over"
4:00
2."Devil Always Made Me Think Twice"
3:51
3."Cold"
  • C. Stapleton
  • Cobb
  • J.T. Cure
  • Derek Mixon
5:09
4."When I'm with You"C. Stapleton3:43
5."Arkansas"
2:58
6."Joy of My Life"John Fogerty4:34
7."Hillbilly Blood"C. Stapleton4:05
8."Maggie's Song"C. Stapleton3:31
9."Whiskey Sunrise"
3:22
10."Worry B Gone"
3:15
11."Old Friends"
4:01
12."Watch You Burn"
  • C. Stapleton
  • Campbell
4:03
13."You Should Probably Leave"
3:33
14."Nashville, TN"
3:35
Total length:54:00

Personnel

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Adapted from liner notes.[17]

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Starting Over
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[35] Platinum 80,000‡
United States (RIAA)[36] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Joseph Hudak (August 27, 2020). "Chris Stapleton Previews New Album 'Starting Over': Hear Title Track". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "Starting Over by Chris Stapleton on Apple Music". Apple Music. November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Grammy Awards 2022: Main nominees". BBC News. November 23, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  4. ^ "Chris Stapleton On 'Starting Over' And Writing For The Moment". NPR.org. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  5. ^ Jenkins, Craig (November 12, 2020). "Chris Stapleton Is Still Molding Country Music Into His Own Image". Vulture. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Starting Over by Chris Stapleton Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  7. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Starting Over - Chris Stapleton". AllMusic. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  8. ^ Zimmerman, Lee (November 20, 2020). "Chris Stapleton Takes His Time 'Starting Over'". Americansongwriter.com. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  9. ^ "Album reviews: Chris Stapleton, Benee, McFly and Sophie Ellis-Bextor". The Independent. November 12, 2020. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  10. ^ Jonathan Bernstein (November 24, 2020). "Chris Stapleton: Starting Over". PopMatters. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Jonathan Bernstein (November 12, 2020). "Chris Stapleton's 'Starting Over' Is a Forward-Looking Throwback". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Review: Chris Stapleton's Starting Over Is a Heartfelt, If Derivative, Album". Slant Magazine. November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  13. ^ Willman, Chris (November 13, 2020). "Chris Stapleton's 'Starting Over' Review: The Bearded Face of Country Integrity Stays the Course". Variety. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  14. ^ "Final Nominees For "The 55th Annual CMA Awards" To Be Announced Thursday, Sept. 9". The 55th Annual CMA Awards. September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  15. ^ Zhan, Jennifer (April 19, 2021). "Maren Morris, Luke Bryan Win Big at 2021 ACM Awards". Vulture. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  16. ^ "Chris Stapleton's 'Starting Over' Starts at No. 1 on Top Country Albums Chart". Billboard. November 24, 2020.
  17. ^ Starting Over (CD booklet). Chris Stapleton. Mercury Records Nashville. 2020. B0032689-01.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  20. ^ "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  21. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Chris Stapleton – {{{album}}}" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  23. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  24. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  25. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  26. ^ "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  27. ^ "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  28. ^ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  29. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  30. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  31. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  32. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  33. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  34. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  35. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over". Music Canada. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  36. ^ "American album certifications – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
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