From A Room: Volume 1 Explained

From A Room: Volume 1
Type:studio
Artist:Chris Stapleton
Cover:Chris-stapleton-from-a-room-volume-1.jpg
Recorded:2016–2017
Studio:RCA Studio A (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre:
Label:Mercury Nashville
Producer:
Prev Title:Traveller
Prev Year:2015
Next Year:2017

From A Room: Volume 1 is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton, released on May 5, 2017 through Mercury Nashville. Primarily a country, blues, and roots rock record, it was produced by Dave Cobb and Stapleton.

Upon its release, the album received critical acclaim. Commercially, it debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart and number two on the US Billboard 200; in the latter Stapleton scored his best sales week so far. It topped the US Country Albums chart for several weeks.[1] In May 2018, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It won the award for Album of the Year at the 51st Country Music Association Awards, and Best Country Album at the 60th Grammy Awards. The song "Either Way" was released as the album's first single, followed by "Broken Halos".[2] They won the Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song, respectively.[3] "Broken Halos" reached the top of the Country Airplay chart.[4]

Background and release

From A Room: Volume 1 is Stapleton's second studio album, following his solo debut with Traveller, which earned him several accolades at the Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association, and Grammy Awards, and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The release was confirmed to be followed by Volume 2 later that year.[5] [6]

The album takes its name from Nashville's RCA Studio A, where it was recorded during the winter of 2016–17. Volume 1 marks the second collaboration between Stapleton and producer Dave Cobb. Prior to the album announcement, Stapleton had premiered several tracks during lives performances.[7] He premiered the album track "Second One to Know" at the 52nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 2, 2017.[8]

The album tracks "Broken Halos", "Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning" and "Second One to Know" were released as promotional singles ahead of the album release.[9] [10] [11] Subsequently, the album was released on May 5, 2017 to music stores and streaming services. "Either Way" was serviced to country radio stations on May 8, 2017 as the first single off the album.[12] [13] Stapleton performed the track "I Was Wrong" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[14] The same month, he embarked on his All-American Road Show Tour.[15]

Music and themes

From A Room: Volume 1 focuses on country, blues and roots rock.[16] The songs on the project were written years before his first studio album. The opening track "Broken Halos", written by Stapleton and Mike Henderson, was defined by music publications as a multi-genre song, including mid-tempo country rock, folk rock and Southern gospel.[17] [18] Lyrically, on the song Stapleton meditates on the wounds people suffer and the road toward healing that they travel.[19]

The album features eight songs co-written by Stapleton and collaborators, as well as a rendition of "Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning", written by Gary P. Nunn and Donna Sioux Farar and original recorded by Willie Nelson.[13] Stapleton recorded the song as an outlaw country guitar ballad,[20] punctuated by harmonies from his wife Morgane in the background, and accompanied by Mickey Raphael playing the harmonica.[17]

The third album track "Second One to Know" is a country and blues rock song with rock and roll influences,[11] [21] featuring electric guitar riffs.[20] In "Up to No Good Livin'", which features pedal steel guitar, the narrator, known as "the Picasso of painting the town" because of his lifestyle, worries that he may never be able to convince his lady that he has left his "wild days" behind. "Either Way", written by Stapleton, Tim James and Kendall Marvel, is as a solo acoustic ballad about the end of a relationship,[8] telling the painful tale of a marriage nearing its end.[22] A CMT editor opined the country blues track "Them Stems" is an answer to Travellers "Might as Well Get Stoned" as is about "a stoner with a dire need to restock his marijuana stash."[8] "I Was Wrong" is rooted in electric blues and Southern soul, featuring a guitar solo by Stapleton. "Without Your Love" finds the singer unable to erase the memory of an ex-partner, musically it "recalls a brooding alt-rock ballad" according to a Paste editor. Lyrically, "Death Row" contains themes of a prisoner's final thoughts, featuring cyclical guitar patterns, sparse percussion and repetitive bass – that "hints at the monotony of a life spent behind bars," according to a Rolling Stone reviewer.[17]

Critical reception

From A Room: Volume 1 received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 81 out of 100, which indicates "universal acclaim" based on nine reviews.

Writing for Rolling Stone, Will Hermes started his album review commenting "Stapleton is a soul singer, with a preternaturally creaky voice that can turn wizened or brawny, full of pained howls and distended vowels the record", and continued describing the record as "strikingly focused, sonically and thematically. Its characters are flawed; there's much bad behavior, with heartbreak to pay." Hermes also noted its music influences, commenting, "It conjures Otis Redding as much as Waylon Jennings [...] Stapleton is a convincing bluesman. You could imagine B.B. King singing "Death Row" or Freddie King slashing through "I Was Wrong" with his jagged Texas guitar, which Stapleton impressively echoes."[23] Also from the magazine, reviewer Robert Crawford stated it "further cements Stapleton as country's reigning outlaw."[17] In Paste, Ben Salmon opined, "Each [track] is charming and sturdy and well put together, evidence of an artist who is at the very top of his game and ready to reach even higher."[24] Rob Hughes in Uncut felt that the album "manages to pull off that rare trick of sounding both fresh and familiar, as dauntless as it is consoling."

In an article for The New York Times, Jon Caramanica described the album as "earthen, rich with tradition, has a tactile intensity and is carefully measured," and noted the songs' themes are "about romantic disappointment and people letting each other down, often with the Stapletons singing in devastating harmony, like on "Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning" and "Up to No Good Livin'.""[25] Joe Lynch from Billboard opined Stapleton's "earthy growl" from Traveller remains intact, and found the lyrics "sharper than before. There's plenty about boozin' and heartache, but he also tackles a prisoner's final day on earth on "Death Row" and hilariously bemoans getting to the end of his stash on "Them Stems.""[26] Also from the publication, Kevin Rutherford, stated the album "shows Stapleton would much rather bend country radio to his will, not vice versa. "Either Way" contains one of the quintessential powerhouse vocal performances in recent memory, while "Second One to Know" is a raucous, guitar-led jaunt that isn't just a barnburner—it nukes the thing from orbit."[27] In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine described it as a collection "of good tunes, delivered simply and soulfully," while there is not a "grand concept," the album "holds together."[28] Glenn Gamboa from Newsday felt the album "isn’t quite the bold, all-encompassing statement" like its predecessor, however, Stapleton's "unpolished, heart-on-his-sleeve approach is bold enough to keep him at the front of the country pack."[29]

Accolades

Accolades for From A Room: Volume 1! Publication! List! Rank!
Billboard50 Best Albums of 2017
Entertainment WeeklyThe 25 Best Albums of 2017
Rolling Stone50 Best Albums of 2017
40 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2017
The San Diego Union-TribuneThe Best Albums of 2017
StereogumThe 10 Best Country Albums of 2017
UproxxThe Best Country Albums of 2017
VarietyThe 20 Best Albums of 2017
Vinyl Me, PleaseThe 30 Best Albums of 2017
*Along with From A Room: Volume 2

Awards

Awards and nominations for From A Room: Volume 1!Year!Award!Category!Result!
2017Country Music Association AwardsAlbum of the Year[30]
American Music AwardsFavorite Country Album[31]
2018Grammy AwardsBest Country Album
Academy of Country Music AwardsAlbum of the Year[32]
iHeartRadio Music AwardsCountry Album of the Year[33]
Billboard Music AwardsTop Selling Album[34]
Top Country Album

Commercial performance

From A Room: Volume 1 debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 219,000 album-equivalent units, of which 202,000 were pure album sales, Stapleton's highest first week sales. The album also debuted at number one on the Top Album Sales chart. It had the largest sales week for a country album in more than a year-and-a-half; the last country artist to sell more in a week was Luke Bryan with Kill the Lights (2015). With 658,000 copies sold in the US throughout 2017 (800,000 album-equivalent units), From A Room: Volume 1 was the country's sixth highest-selling album of the year, and the best-selling country album.[35] [36] It has sold 942,600 copies in the US as of October 2019.[37]

In Canada, it debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart. It was certified Platinum in the US and Gold in Canada. Volume 1 is the best-selling country album of 2017.[38]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Dave Cobb and Chris Stapleton.

Personnel

Credits for From A Room: Volume 1 adapted from AllMusic.[39] Musicians

Technical personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2017)! scope="col"
Peak
position
US Billboard 200[40] 2
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[41] 1

Year-end charts

Chart! scope="col"
YearPosition
US Billboard 200[42] 201728
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[43] 2
US Billboard 200[44] 201865
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[45] 9
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[46] 201921
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[47] 202082

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateEdition(s)Format(s)Label
VariousMay 5, 2017StandardMercury Nashville[48]
United StatesVinyl[49]
United KingdomJune 16, 2017Decca[50]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Top Country Albums . August 12, 2017 . Billboard.
  2. News: Country > Future Releases . All Access Music Group . July 19, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170710060524/https://www.allaccess.com/country/future-releases . July 10, 2017.
  3. News: Grammy Awards Winners List: Updating Live . January 28, 2018 . Variety . January 28, 2018.
  4. News: Chris Stapleton Claims First Country Airplay Leader With 'Broken Halos' . Asker . Jim . March 20, 2018 . Billboard . March 20, 2018.
  5. News: Chris Stapleton reveals 2 new albums in 2017 . April 5, 2017 . The Tennessean . April 13, 2017.
  6. News: Chris Stapleton Will Release Two Albums This Year . Breihan . Tom . April 6, 2017 . Billboard . April 6, 2017.
  7. News: Hear Chris Stapleton Detail a Failed Romance in Brutal 'Either Way' . February 9, 2016 . Rolling Stone . May 5, 2017.
  8. News: Chris Stapleton Previews From a Room: Volume 1 in Nashville . https://web.archive.org/web/20170406223140/http://www.cmt.com/news/1779667/chris-stapleton-previews-from-a-room-volume-1-in-nashville/ . dead . April 6, 2017 . Tingle . Lauren . April 6, 2017 . CMT . April 11, 2017.
  9. News: Hear Chris Stapleton's Stirring Willie Nelson Cover Off New Album . Gage . Jeff . April 21, 2017 . Rolling Stone . April 21, 2017.
  10. News: Hear Chris Stapleton's Redemptive 'Broken Halos' Off Upcoming New Album . April 13, 2017 . Rolling Stone . April 14, 2017.
  11. News: Hear Chris Stapleton's Searing New Song 'Second One to Know' . Crawford . Robert . April 28, 2017 . Rolling Stone . April 28, 2017.
  12. News: https://web.archive.org/web/20170504001607/https://www.allaccess.com/country/future-releases. Country > Future Releases . All Access . May 5, 2017 . May 4, 2017.
  13. News: Chris Stapleton Announces New Album, 'From A Room: Volume 1,' and Track List . April 6, 2017 . Nash Country Daily.
  14. News: Chris Stapleton Plays 'I Was Wrong' on 'Tonight Show,' Joins Kevin Bacon for 'First Drafts' ZZ Top Skit . May 9, 2017 . Billboard . May 9, 2017.
  15. News: See Chris Stapleton Debut New 'Second One to Know' at ACM Awards . Hudak . Joseph . April 4, 2017 . Rolling Stone . April 3, 2017 . November 22, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171122020113/http://www.rollingstone.com/country/news/see-chris-stapletons-new-second-one-to-know-at-acm-awards-w474608 . dead .
  16. News: Chris Stapleton Follows the Muse on From a Room: Volume 1 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170505233922/http://www.cmt.com/news/1780950/chris-stapleton-follows-the-muse-on-from-a-room-volume-1/ . dead . May 5, 2017 . cmt.com staff . May 5, 2017 . CMT . May 6, 2017.
  17. News: Chris Stapleton's 'From A Room: Volume 1': Track-by-Track Guide . Crawford . Robert . May 4, 2017 . Rolling Stone . May 5, 2017.
  18. News: Hear Chris Stapleton's First Single From His Forthcoming Album . Powers . Ann . April 14, 2017 . NPR . April 25, 2017.
  19. News: Chris Stapleton premieres 'Broken Halos,' first track from 'From a Room: Volume 1' . Lewis . Randy . April 13, 2017 . Los Angeles Times . April 15, 2017.
  20. News: Chris Stapleton From A Room: Volume 1 . May 4, 2017 . Slant . May 5, 2017.
  21. News: Chris Stapleton Wasted No Time Debuting His New Song At The ACM Awards . April 3, 2017 . Uproxx . April 28, 2017.
  22. News: Chris Stapleton – From a Room Vol. 1 . Ham . Robert . May 4, 2017 . Consequence of Sound . May 5, 2017.
  23. Web site: Review: Chris Stapleton's Second Album Is Equal Parts Otis and Waylon. Hermes, Will. Will Hermes. May 4, 2017. Rolling Stone. May 5, 2017.
  24. Web site: Chris Stapleton: From A Room, Vol. 1 Review. Salmon. Ben. May 4, 2017. Paste. May 5, 2017.
  25. News: For Chris Stapleton, a Fellow Traveler: His Wife, Morgane . Caramanica . Jon . May 1, 2017 . The New York Times . May 5, 2017.
  26. Web site: The Week's Best New Music: Chris Stapleton, Blondie, Logic & More. Lynch. Joe. May 5, 2017. Billboard. May 5, 2017.
  27. News: The 50 Best Albums of 2017 So Far: Staff List . June 5, 2017 . Billboard . June 7, 2017.
  28. News: AllMusic Review . Erlewine . Stephen Thomas . May 11, 2017 . AllMusic . July 9, 2017.
  29. News: 'From a Room: Volume 1' review: Chris Stapleton gets more personal . Gamboa . Glenn . May 3, 2017 . Newday . July 9, 2017.
  30. Web site: Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Little Big Town top nominees for 2017 CMA Awards. September 4, 2017. ABC News.
  31. News: Here Is the Full List of 2017 AMAs Nominations . October 12, 2017 . Billboard . October 12, 2017.
  32. News: ACM Awards 2018 Nominations: See the Full List . Kaufman . Gil . March 1, 2018 . Billboard . March 1, 2018.
  33. News: Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt & More Take Home iHeartRadio Music Awards . Mastrogiannis . Nicole. March 11, 2018 . iHeartRadio . March 11, 2018.
  34. News: Here Are All the Winners From the 2018 Billboard Music Awards . May 20, 2018 . Billboard . May 20, 2018.
  35. Web site: Ed Sheeran's 'Divide' Is Nielsen Music's Top Album of 2017 in U.S. . Keith. Caulfield . Billboard . January 3, 2018. January 4, 2018.
  36. News: Revealed: Country music's most listened to artists in 2017 . Nate. Rau . Tennessean . USA Today . January 4, 2018 .
  37. Web site: Top Country Catalog Album Sales: October 9, 2019. RoughStock. Matt . Bjorke . October 9, 2019 . October 13, 2019 .
  38. News: Chris Stapleton's 'From A Room: Volume 2': Track-by-Track Guide . Crawford . Robert . November 30, 2017 . Rolling Stone . November 30, 2017.
  39. Web site: From A Room: Volume 1 - Chris Stapleton — Songs, Reviews, Credits. May 5, 2017. AllMusic.
  40. Web site: Logic's 'Everybody' Album Hits No. 1 on Billboard 200. Keith. Caulfield. Billboard. May 15, 2017. May 16, 2017.
  41. Web site: Billboard Country Update. Billboard. May 16, 2017.
  42. Web site: Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017. Billboard. December 12, 2017.
  43. Billboard Top Country Albums- Year-end Chart. Billboard . December 12, 2017.
  44. Web site: Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2018. Billboard. December 5, 2018.
  45. Web site: Top Country Albums – Year-End 2018. Billboard. July 14, 2020.
  46. Web site: Top Country Albums – Year-End 2019. Billboard. July 14, 2020.
  47. Web site: Top Country Albums – Year-End 2020. Billboard. December 12, 2021.
  48. Web site: From A Room: Volume 1. 2017 . Amazon .
  49. Web site: From A Room: Volume 1 [LP] ]. 2017 . Amazon .
  50. Web site: From A Room: Volume 1 [VINYL] ]. 2017 . Amazon .