By Stevie Connor. Photo Credit: Becky Fluke.
Chris Stapleton’s highly anticipated new album, Higher, will be released November 10 on Mercury Nashville/Universal Music Canada. In advance of the release, the album’s first single, “White Horse,” written by Stapleton and Dan Wilson, is out.
Produced by Dave Cobb, Morgane Stapleton, and Stapleton, Higher was recorded at Nashville’s RCA Studio A. Across its 14 songs, Stapleton showcases his supernatural voice and musical versatility with songs that span genres and defy easy categorization. Alongside Stapleton (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide electric guitar), the album features Cobb (acoustic guitar, eclectic guitar), J.T. Cure (bass), Paul Franklin (pedal steel), Derek Mixon (drums), Morgane (background vocals, synthesizer, tambourine), and Lee Pardini (organ, piano).
Known for his electric live performances, the 8x Grammy, 15x CMA and 15x ACM Award-winner is currently in the midst of his extensive “All-American Road Show” tour and joins George Strait for select stadium shows this summer including two shows next Friday and Saturday at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium.
One of the country’s most respected and beloved musicians, in the past year Stapleton was named Entertainer of the Year at the 58th ACM Awards — resulting in a prestigious ACM Triple Crown Award — and Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2022 CMA Awards — his sixth time earning the award, setting the record for most wins ever in the category. Additionally, in February, he performed the National Anthem at Super Bowl LVII and has collaborated in recent years with Adele, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Justin Timberlake, P!nk, Sheryl Crow, Santana, and many more.
The new album follows 2020’s acclaimed Starting Over, which went on to win three awards at the 67th Annual GRAMMYs: Best Country Album, Best Country Solo Performance (“You Should Probably Leave”) and Best Country Song (“Cold”) in addition to earning Album of the Year honors at both the CMA and ACM Awards. Called a “a sure-footed masterpiece” by the Associated Press, the album landed on “Best of 2020” lists at NPR Music, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Esquire, Vulture, The Tennessean, and The New York Times, who declared, “Chris Stapleton’s roar isn’t designed to scare you off. It’s regal, an announcement of an alpha figure asserting his primacy…on this, his fourth album, the thrill is back.” Prior to Starting Over, Stapleton released a pair of Platinum-certified releases in 2017 — From A Room: Volume 1 and From A Room: Volume 2 — as well as his 5x Platinum breakthrough solo debut album in 2015, Traveller.
In addition to their work as musicians, the Stapletons are founders of the Outlaw State of Kind charitable fund, which supports a variety of causes that are close to their heart.
TOUR DATES
July 22—Cullman, AL—Rock the South
July 28—Nashville, TN—Nissan Stadium*
July 29—Nashville, TN—Nissan Stadium*
August 5—Tampa, FL—Raymond James Stadium*
August 10—Gilford, NH—Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion‡ (SOLD OUT)
August 11—Gilford, NH—Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion‡ (SOLD OUT)
August 12—Gilford, NH—Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion‡ (SOLD OUT)
August 17—Toronto, ON—Budweiser Stage† (SOLD OUT)
August 18—Toronto, ON—Budweiser Stage† (SOLD OUT)
August 19—Montreal, QC—Lasso Festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau
August 24—Memphis, TX—FedEx Forum#
August 25—Alpharetta, GA—Ameris Bank Amphitheatre# (SOLD OUT)
August 26—Alpharetta, GA—Ameris Bank Amphitheatre# (SOLD OUT)
October 5—Charlottesville, VA—John Paul Jones Arena^ (SOLD OUT)
October 6—State College, PA—Bryce Jordan Center^ (SOLD OUT)
October 7—Long Island, NY—UBS Arena^ (SOLD OUT)
October 12—Corpus Christi, TX—American Bank Center Arena§
October 13—Houston, TX—Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion§ (SOLD OUT)
October 19—San Antonio, TX—AT&T Center§ (SOLD OUT)
October 20—Austin, TX—Moody Center§ (SOLD OUT)
October 21—Austin, TX—Moody Center§ (SOLD OUT)
October 26—Tulsa, OK—BOK Center§ (SOLD OUT)
October 27—Dallas, TX—Dos Equis Pavilion§ (SOLD OUT)
October 28—Dallas, TX—Dos Equis Pavilion§ (SOLD OUT)
*with George Strait and special guests Little Big Town ‡with special guests Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives and The War And Treaty
†with special guests Marcus King and The War And Treaty #with special guests Marcus King and Allen Stone
^with special guests Margo Price and Nikki Lane §with special guests Charley Crockett and Nikki Lane
FOLLOW CHRIS STAPLETON