Starting Over (Chris Stapleton album)

Starting Over is the fourth studio album by American musician Chris Stapleton. The album was released on November 13, 2020, by Mercury Nashville.^[1][2] At the 64th Grammy Awards it won the award for Best Country Album.^[3]

Starting Over
Studio album by Chris Stapleton
Released	November 13, 2020
Studio	Compass Sound (Nashville, Tennessee) RCA Studio A (Nashville, Tennessee) Muscle Shoals (Sheffield, Alabama)
Genre	Country
Length	54:00
Label	Mercury Nashville
Producer	Dave Cobb Chris Stapleton
Chris Stapleton chronology
From A Room: Volume 2 (2017) Starting Over (2020) Higher (2023)
Singles from Starting Over
"Starting Over" Released: August 28, 2020 "Cold" Released: September 25, 2020 "You Should Probably Leave" Released: May 17, 2021 "Joy of My Life" Released: March 22, 2022

Composition

The singer-songwriter's fourth recording project consists of fourteen tracks produced with Dave Cobb, and features writing by John Fogerty, Mike Henderson, Mike Campbell, Susanna Clarke and Guy Clark.^[4] Interviewed by Vulture Magazine, Stapleton said:^[5] "There’s a lot on this record that I’m finding out, as I’m starting to talk about it a bit, was very reactionary and in the moment. On previous records, there was songwriting that probably took place in a working songwriter vacuum, that sat around for a number of years and found a purpose when it was time to make a record. [...] This project is much more about my current day-to-day life."

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	81/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
American Songwriter	[8]
The Independent	[9]
PopMatters	[10]
Rolling Stone	[11]
Slant Magazine	[12]

Starting Over received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 81, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 10 reviews.^[6]

Jonathan Bernstein of Rolling Stone reports that "Starting Over feels comfortable experimenting with whatever its author throws at it" as Stapleton "digs deep into familiar territory, spinning a fiery tale of liberation", finding it a "sincere tale".^[11]

Chris Willman of Variety finds that "Starting Over is not intended to live up to its title; if anyone is so solid in his musical convictions that he could never try to reinvent himself, it's Stapleton. But it would be hard to consider an album that contains not just one but two Guy Clark covers that pay homage to one of Stapleton's songwriting heroes as banal".^[13]

Jeremy Winograd of Slant Magazine finds the arrangements of the songs "sparse and uncluttered" leaving the singer-songwriter's voice "raw". Although he finds the vocal presence of his wife Morgane a testament to the songs' authenticity, he writes that "predictably, it only shifts his focus from love and tenderness to mild hedonism" finding them "largely limited".^[12]

Awards

Awards and nominations for Starting Over

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2021	Country Music Association Awards	Album of the Year	Won	[14]
	Academy of Country Music Awards	Album of the Year	Won	[15]
2022	Grammy Awards	Best Country Album	Won	[3]

Commercial performance

Starting Over debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 selling 103,000 units in its first week.^[16]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Dave Cobb and Chris Stapleton.

Starting Over track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Starting Over"	Chris Stapleton Mike Henderson	4:00
2.	"Devil Always Made Me Think Twice"	C. Stapleton Al Anderson	3:51
3.	"Cold"	C. Stapleton Cobb J.T. Cure Derek Mixon	5:09
4.	"When I'm with You"	C. Stapleton	3:43
5.	"Arkansas"	C. Stapleton Mike Campbell	2:58
6.	"Joy of My Life"	John Fogerty	4:34
7.	"Hillbilly Blood"	C. Stapleton	4:05
8.	"Maggie's Song"	C. Stapleton	3:31
9.	"Whiskey Sunrise"	C. Stapleton Tim Krekel	3:22
10.	"Worry B Gone"	Guy Clark Lee Roy Parnell Gary Nicholson	3:15
11.	"Old Friends"	G. Clark Susanna Clark Richard Dobson	4:01
12.	"Watch You Burn"	C. Stapleton Campbell	4:03
13.	"You Should Probably Leave"	C. Stapleton Ashley Gorley Chris DuBois	3:33
14.	"Nashville, TN"	C. Stapleton Morgane Stapleton	3:35
Total length:			54:00

Personnel

Adapted from liner notes.^[17]

Chris Stapleton − lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (tracks 5, 7, 10), acoustic guitar (tracks 1–3, 6–8, 10, 11, 14), electric guitar (tracks 2–7, 9–13), mandolin (track 2), octophone (track 7), string arrangements (track 3) Dave Cobb − acoustic guitar (all tracks except 10 and 14), percussion (track 5), string arrangements (track 3) J.T. Cure − bass guitar (all tracks except 14), upright bass (track 14) Derek Mixon − drums (all tracks), percussion (track 5), tambourine (track 3) Morgane Stapleton − background vocals (tracks 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14), tambourine (tracks 2, 5, 10, 13) Additional Personnel Benmont Tench − Hammond B-3 organ (tracks 1, 3, 6, 8, 11, 13, 14), piano (tracks 3, 8, 11), upright piano (track 5), Wurlitzer (tracks 1, 8) Mike Campbell − electric guitar (tracks 5, 12) Paul Franklin − pedal steel guitar (tracks 10, 14) Stephen Lamb − copyist (track 3)

String section (track 3) David Angell − violin Jenny Bifano − violin David Davidson − violin Conni Ellisor − violin Alicia Engstrom − violin Mary Kathryn Vanosdale − violin Karyn Winkleman − violin Kevin Bates − cello Austin Hoke − cello Carole Rabinowitz − cello Sari Reist − cello Kris Wilkinson − viola, string arrangements Choir (track 12) Traneshia Chiles Tamika Harris Jordan Holland Lauren McClinton Marqo Patton Lenesha Randolph Shannon Sanders Melody Sheppard

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Starting Over Chart (2020) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 15 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 92 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[20] 2 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] 19 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 61 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 22 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 16 UK Albums (OCC)[25] 31 US Billboard 200[26] 3 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[27] 1

Year-end charts 2021 year-end chart performance for Starting Over Chart (2021) Position Canadian Albums (Billboard)[28] 32 US Billboard 200[29] 32 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[30] 4 2022 year-end chart performance for Starting Over Chart (2022) Position US Billboard 200[31] 51 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[32] 7 2023 year-end chart performance for Starting Over Chart (2023) Position US Billboard 200[33] 77 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[34] 17

Certifications

Certifications for Starting Over

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[35]	Platinum	80,000‡
United States (RIAA)[36]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Joseph Hudak (August 27, 2020). "Chris Stapleton Previews New Album 'Starting Over': Hear Title Track". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
2. "Starting Over by Chris Stapleton on Apple Music". Apple Music. November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
3. "Grammy Awards 2022: Main nominees". BBC News. November 23, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
4. "Chris Stapleton On 'Starting Over' And Writing For The Moment". NPR.org. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
5. Jenkins, Craig (November 12, 2020). "Chris Stapleton Is Still Molding Country Music Into His Own Image". Vulture. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
6. "Starting Over by Chris Stapleton Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
7. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Starting Over - Chris Stapleton". AllMusic. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
8. Zimmerman, Lee (November 20, 2020). "Chris Stapleton Takes His Time 'Starting Over'". Americansongwriter.com. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
9. "Album reviews: Chris Stapleton, Benee, McFly and Sophie Ellis-Bextor". The Independent. November 12, 2020. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
10. Jonathan Bernstein (November 24, 2020). "Chris Stapleton: Starting Over". PopMatters. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
11. Jonathan Bernstein (November 12, 2020). "Chris Stapleton's 'Starting Over' Is a Forward-Looking Throwback". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
12. "Review: Chris Stapleton's Starting Over Is a Heartfelt, If Derivative, Album". Slant Magazine. November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
13. Willman, Chris (November 13, 2020). "Chris Stapleton's 'Starting Over' Review: The Bearded Face of Country Integrity Stays the Course". Variety. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
14. "Final Nominees For "The 55th Annual CMA Awards" To Be Announced Thursday, Sept. 9". The 55th Annual CMA Awards. September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
15. Zhan, Jennifer (April 19, 2021). "Maren Morris, Luke Bryan Win Big at 2021 ACM Awards". Vulture. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
16. "Chris Stapleton's 'Starting Over' Starts at No. 1 on Top Country Albums Chart". Billboard. November 24, 2020.
17. Starting Over (CD booklet). Chris Stapleton. Mercury Records Nashville. 2020. B0032689-01.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
18. "Australiancharts.com – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
19. "Ultratop.be – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
20. "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Chris Stapleton – {{{album}}}" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
23. "Swedishcharts.com – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
24. "Swisscharts.com – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
25. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
26. "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
27. "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
28. "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
29. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
30. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
31. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
32. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
33. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
34. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
35. "Canadian album certifications – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over". Music Canada. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
36. "American album certifications – Chris Stapleton – Starting Over". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 1, 2023.