Chris Stapleton, Starting Over | Track Review 🎵

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Grammy-winning country musician Chris Stapleton successfully ‘starts over’ on his marvelous new single, “Starting Over.”

[otw_shortcode_dropcap label=”I” size=”large” border_color_class=”otw-no-border-color” shadow=”shadow” square=”square”]t’s been a while since we’ve heard brand-new music from Grammy-winning country musician, Chris Stapleton.  Thankfully, he’s back with a brand-new, original single “Starting Over.” “Starting Over” is written by Stapleton and Mike Henderson.  It’s produced by Stapleton and producer extraordinaire, Dave Cobb.  As expected, the results are great.[/otw_shortcode_dropcap]

Early on, “Staring Over” keeps things pretty simple.  It features rhythmic guitar accompaniment and a light, though rhythmic snare drum groove. Set in a major key, the optimism is at an all-time high.  As always, Chris Stapleton delivers commanding, expressive vocals, bringing ample assertiveness to the table.  Even with the grit behind his pipes, the melodic lines throughout “Starting Over” are quite tuneful.  The songwriting is well-rounded, focusing on taking risks and taking the plunge even amidst uncertainty. One of the best lyric hails from the second verse, as Stapleton sings:

“But nobody wins afraid of losing
And the hard roads are the ones worth choosing
Some days we'll look back and smile
And know it was worth every mile.”

Of course, it is the memorable chorus, where Stapleton is assisted by a female backing vocalist, that serves as the centerpiece:

“And it don’t matter to me
Where we are is where I wanna be
And honey, for once in our life
Let’s take our chances and roll the dice
I can be your lucky penny, you can be my four-leaf cover
Starting over.”

Highlighting the production once more, eventually, the backdrop fills out. Stapleton adds a robust bass line, organ, and fuller drums.  An instrumental interlude with a different harmonic progression is worth highlighting.

Final Thoughts

Did Chris Stapleton need to start over? Of course not, but I’m definitely glad he did so via the song “Starting Over.” Honestly, it feels as if Stapleton just picked up where he left off after From A Room: Volume 2.  The boxes he’s checked off in the past he checks off again.  Winner? Methinks!

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Chris Stapleton • Starting Over • Sound / UMG • Release: 11.13.20

Photo Credits: Sound / UMG