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Music has fragmented over the years. Once upon a time, people listened to radio, and while there was some segmentation in audiences, there were some unifying figures. The last crop of truly unifying figures were the 60s soul singers, like Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles. Everybody loved them. No matter one's taste in music, regardless of genre, basically everybody loved a few of these brilliant, unifying artists. They are gone now, and the artistic world has fragmented far more than it was in the 1960s, which is ironic since the 1960s was the era in which the civil rights movement was fighting de jure segregation.
Country is, in some ways, an unlikely genre for unification, given its polarizing nature. It isn't merely the nasal twang of most country singers-- it is the cultural image associated with the genre. To a significant portion of America, country simply represents a culture with which they do not identify, so the merits of the art become irrelevant. A few artists break through that. Rock fans long ago decided that it was OK to like Johnny Cash, and hippies have a fondness for Willie Nelson. Interestingly, jazz people frequently appreciate WIllie too-- Miles Davis appreciated his sense of time. Yet country's polarizing position in the music industry makes it an unlikely place to look for unifying figures. The 1990s arena acts that got big doing the all-hat-no-cattle thing certainly didn't help. The late-great comedian, Bill Hicks, was permanently banned from performing on David Letterman's show for some off-color comedy about Billy Ray Cyrus, who left a bad taste in the mouthes of those who weren't interested in the image-conscious side of pop-country in the 1990s. So really, country has always been an unlikely place to look for the new, unifying figures. The new Ray Charles. The new Aretha.
One can make a case that Chris Stapleton is establishing himself in that role. His star just continues to rise, and I can't find anyone, regardless of taste, who doesn't love him. His R&B growl, deep country roots, southern rock bite... all of this continues coming together in a unique brew that everybody loves. What is truly odd about this is that when someone's star rises like this, the hipster snobs are supposed to turn away in disgust. With Stapleton, he was a darling of the snobs first. With The Steeldrivers-- one of the hardest-hitting bluegrass acts around, he made clear that he was the real deal in a way that earned the respect of all real roots music fans long before the snobs could ever turn up... OK, our noses. Yeah, he got famous. But he's so good that instead of getting weirded out, we're watching with puzzlement that someone so good is actually getting recognition.
After the From A Room sessions, Stapleton returns with a proper, full album. At this point, he has established a solo sound, fully separate from The Steeldrivers, and he does what we have come to expect. His voice can blow you away, but he understands that you don't just belt it out all the time. That's how you overstay your welcome. Arrangements run the gamut from folksy to gritty rockers. The band is tight, without ever being showy. Most importantly, this is just music for everyone. It is distinctly southern, with enough of a twang to be identifiable as real country, as opposed to all-hat-no-cattle, factory-produced garbage for line-dancing. Yet, Stapleton doesn't overwhelm you with his nose, cliched production tricks, or anything like that. This is what country really is. What it always should be.
If you're already a country fan, doesn't this make you sick of that Nashville garbage? Don't you want to start listening to Isbell and Sturgill and the Black Lillies and Pierce Edens and Darrell Scott, and the old stuff, instead of whatever is on country radio? And if somehow, you found yourself here thinking, "I don't like country, but I guess that Stapleton guy is OK," don't you want to know who I'm talking about when I say that Nashville country is terrible, but you need to listen to the real stuff?
Perhaps this advice will go unheeded. Probably. Regardless, at this moment in time, country fans, rock fans, R&B fans, and basically everyone, can come together and appreciate the unifying genius of Chris Stapleton.
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Luca Mazzocchi
Ennesimo splendido lavoro: il miglior musicista degli ultimi dieci anni.
Reviewed in Italy on November 21, 2020Un disco imprescindible.Recomendado absolutamente.
Un disco impecable
Reviewed in Spain on June 8, 2023
