Amazon.com: From A Room: Volume 1[LP]: CDs & Vinyl

"Please allow me to introduce myself." I am an official country music snob. I hate popular country music. I've been one of those "alternative country" people since the early days of "No Depression," named for Uncle Tupelo's first album, itself coming from a Carter Family song ("There'll Be No Depression In Heaven"). Really, I was raised on bluegrass. If it is popular, I hate it. My current country music heroes are people like Malcolm Holcombe and Cahalen Morrison, neither of whom you know. You should, but you probably don't. Mostly, I listen to the instrumental stuff. The old guys like Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant, some newer musicians like the late-great Danny Gatton, who has now been dead for decades I realize, and "younger" guys like Scotty Anderson. That's what I like. Popular country? NEVER. Dale Watson has a song that pretty much sums up my feelings: "That's Country, My ..."

Get the point? OK. Now, Chris Stapleton has gotten popular and kind of famous. I am now supposed to hate him. No. I refuse. He is still the best. I loved him in The Steeldrivers. I mourned when he left, both because I didn't know what that would do to The Steeldrivers, and because I wasn't sure what kind of solo career he would have. As it turned out, The Steeldrivers recovered, and Chris Stapleton is just awesome on his own too. I loved Traveller. This one is even better.

Here's the obvious thing about Stapleton that makes him work as such a versatile country musician. He isn't really a country singer. That gravelly, howling voice is really more of an R&B/soul voice. If you know your history of southern soul, you may know a cat named Dan Penn, or maybe the swamp fox himself, Tony Joe White. If you do, then Chris Stapleton makes more sense. The intersection of country, blues and R&B has been there all along, with the right artists looking for ways to take advantage of it. Some do it with instrumental work, like Danny Gatton. Stapleton, while a passable guitarist, isn't truly an instrumentalist. He is a singer, and his voice can do wonders. With a tone fit for R&B, and a twang fit for country, he can sing blues, he do soul, and he brings it all together with just the right amount of twang. This isn't a flashy album in terms of instrumental work, it doesn't have a bunch of Nashville session players, and the final tune is practically a dirge. But there isn't a note out of place.

I am supposed to hate Chris Stapleton now that he is popular. Nope. He's still great. Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson too.

Now, if I can just get some of you to look into a few others you might like if you are into Chris Stapleton, who may take you just a bit outside your comfort zones: Darrell Scott, Romi Mayes, Lydia Loveless, The Black Lillies, Pierce Edens. There's so much more out there!