
Rolling Stone critic Will Hermes called it correctly in the first sentence of his review of From a Room:Volume 1, “Chris Stapleton is a soul singer.” Over two decades later, Stapleton put his stamp on the classic by infusing elements of soul and R&B into his country roots. Two years later, “Tennessee Whiskey” was a hit for the late, great George Jones. David Allan Coe was the first to record the song in 1981. Turned into a soulful ballad by the Kentucky native, “Tennessee Whiskey” was written by Dean Dillon, a former recording artist who penned dozens of songs for George Strait, and Linda Hargrove, a ’70s recording artist. In other words, “Tennessee Whiskey” is so Pandora: a song that’s spun alongside the music of myriad genres because Pandora’s algorithms can predict which songs go together and be liked by a particular listener. In high school, it would traverse a diverse handful of cliques. In baseball, “Tennessee Whiskey” would be called a five-tool player. I duet with James Harden would be great, wouldn’t it?Ĭhris Stapleton, whose third album, From a Room Volume 2, was released today, struck cross-genre Pandora gold with his cover of “Tennessee Whiskey,” a song that first hit the top ten in the ’80s. I'm really looking forward to it.The Beard. "I haven't heard him live, but I do listen to his music. She complimented his abilities as a songwriter, but also as an artist. "I really like his music," Heidi Thompson, of Grand Forks, said shortly before Stapleton took the stage.

and played for two hours, opening with "Nobody to Blame," "Parachute" and "Second One To Know" before taking a moment to visit with the crowd. King's 2015 song "Ex's & Oh's" earned national popularity and made her a known name in the industry, although she didn't perform it Thursday. The night began with two opening acts: Morgan Wade and Elle King. Stapleton isn't just a stand-out-front singer with a seldom-played rhythm guitar hanging from his neck, though - he played lead guitar throughout the evening, and the highlight probably was his extended Stevie Ray Vaughan-esque solo during "I Was Wrong." Stapleton's stage was set like a nightclub, with little space between him and a five-person band that included his wife, Morgane, whose backing vocals were featured prominently throughout the night. He still found time to visit with nearby fans and to sign a number of items between songs. "I'm not going to do a whole lot of talking tonight, but we'll play as much music as we can in the time that we have." Thank you all for being with us," Stapleton said after a few songs. The style differs somewhat from some of the other big country acts that have played the Alerus, and it gives fans a chance to better hear his award-winning vocals and lyrics. Thursday, many of his songs were deliberately paced - maybe a bit faster than an old grandfather clock. He released the album "Traveler" in 2015, winning Country Music Association Album of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the year.
Tennessee whiskey song full#
According to a piece titled "30-plus songs you didn't know Chris Stapleton wrote" - published by - he has full or shared songwriting credits for a number of songs recorded by others, including Joss Stone, Adele, George Strait, Darius Rucker and Tim McGraw. Stapleton comes from Kentucky and, along with gaining fame for his own vocal talents, has earned acclaim as a songwriter, writing or co-writing hits for singers like Kenny Chesney ("Never Wanted Nothing More") and Luke Bryan ("Drink a Beer"). Whereas past stars David Allen Coe and George Jones recorded the song in the drawling style common in early 1980s country music, Stapleton's version is bluesy and honors a melody from Etta James' 1967 "I'd Rather Go Blind." Stapleton played "Tennessee Whiskey" at the end of his set Thursday and received a rousing response from an Alerus Center audience that likely numbered north of 15,000.įor anyone who didn't listen to the radio or watch country music-related television from 2015 to about 2020, Stapleton's take on "Tennessee Whiskey" is non-traditional in a country sense.

Stapleton - who first became known as a writer of hit songs made famous by others - played a set of more than 20 songs but sparked the crowd with his take of "Tennessee Whiskey," a tune he didn't write and that has been around for decades but which saw a rejuvenation when the bearded, soulful Stapleton dusted it off in 2015. That kind of ability has pushed Stapleton to superstar status in the world of country music, and it was a highlight during his performance Thursday at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.

7-GRAND FORKS - How is it that Chris Stapleton, the writer of dozens of hit songs recorded by himself and others, can take someone else's 40-year-old country lyrics, lay them over a blues melody and make the result sound so original and so darn good?
