EPISODE 05
Nobody Knows Stapleton Better Than We
CHRIS STAPLETON | RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2021
Jake
So, here we are. Episode 5. With a voice straight from the gods.
Rose
Oh, why, thank you Jake. What a kind introduction.
Jake
...walked right into that one, didn’t I.
Rose
Yes, of course. And I’ve been surpassing you with the dad jokes lately, so there’s no way I was going to let that one go. But do you want to really tell the folks out there who we’re chatting about today while I fill my cup with this very fitting lapsang souchong?
Jake
Sure, Dad, though maybe you should tell the folks out there what the hell lapsang souchong is first.
Rose
I would love to. Any excuse to talk about tea. It’s a black tea that is smoke dried, over pine wood. And it obviously gives the tea a really unique and smoky flavor. It’s camping in a cup for me. I like to drink it as is. But I also like to make a latte out of it. The creaminess cuts some of the smoke flavor if you need that. And that, everyone, has been our Talking Tea corner. So without further ado, shall we get on with the show and Mr. Stapleton?
Jake
Hey, caffeine’s in the title. It’s fair game. But alright, here we go, let’s get at it: Grammy-award winner Christopher Alvin Stapleton, former lead singer of The SteelDrivers and present-day solo artist. And if I could channel my inner sea witch and steal the voice of one person, it would be his. Chris Stapleton would be my Little Mermaid.
Rose
[laughs] You know. I might strongly consider it also. Okay, so as you may or may not know, Chris Stapleton used to be with a band called the SteelDrivers. He joined around 2008, I believe. And I know he left around 2010. So there are two really amazing albums that he sang on, and cowrote. I know that he cowrote every song on Reckless. I’m not sure about the one before it. And, I tried to find out if there were any official singles from those albums. But I couldn’t find out for sure. So, I can’t say for sure that my first pick isn’t a single. But I know it’s not mainstream. Okay. Go ahead and start Angel of the Night. Technically, a Steeldrivers song, and unmistakably Chris. This is far more, such an inviting introduction into the bluegrass sound to people that don’t necessarily think they’ll like it. And everyone in this band gets a chance to show off what they can do. His voice is just so raw. When you listen to songs do they ever give you a certain feeling about when to listen? This feels like a dusk kind of song to me.
Jake
Oh, absolutely. Got a real suppertime vibe. Winding down for the day, a good driving home kinda song. And I’m glad you picked this one because I didn’t end up picking anything from the SteelDrivers’ rep, but this one was right on the cusp for me.
Rose
That’s going to be my next playlist title--Suppertime Vibe. Doesn’t that just make you happy? When a song you really wanted to make it just didn’t quite budge up into the top three but I picked it? I love when it ends up that way. I really try not to think about whether or not I suspect you might pick something when I narrow mine down. But as I get to know your tastes more, I have been hearing songs I think okay this is so Jake. So give us a so Jake pick...
Jake
This is a so, so Jake pick right here. It’s one of the most “fuck it” songs in Stapleton’s rep: Might As Well Get Stoned. The lyrics aren’t exactly original -- life sucks, my lady left me, and the world’s a dumpster fire, so hey. Might as well get stoned, right? There’s a thousand other songs out there with the same message. For me, it’s not the lyrics but 4-plus minutes of steady, unrelenting, beautiful blues driving the whole damn thing, and if I were to get stoned while listening to this, it’d probably get stuck on repeat. For a while. Like, an embarrassing amount of time, but I’d be stoned, so who cares?
Rose
Okay so I’m laughing because this is my number 5. For those reasons. And yeah, not exactly original but completely relatable. Even if it’s just the chorus. We need our “Fuck It’ soundtracks, you know? Man, I do that too. When I’m stoned I really fixate on one song for a really long time. Ha! Exactly. No one. What is time? What is shuffle?
Jake
Then it really is a good thing we aren’t getting stoned on this podcast. Sitting here, torturing y’all with a 4-minute song that’s suddenly 45 minutes… So before I’m tempted to hit repeat on this one, let’s have your second pick, Linley.
Rose
Alright, let’s get back into it. Nobody To Blame. If I was a country music purist, I would absolutely have to say that this is country the way country should be. I honestly had to double check that this wasn’t a cover because it feels so familiar. Does it not sound like Waylon and George Jones to you?
Jake
Yeah, I can hear that.
Rose
Because that’s who I hear. And yet, still it has that very unique Stapleton sound. And isn’t that what we want in new music? It reminds of the old stuff but is it’s own thing. Let me not get on a tangent here about Greta Van Fleet. [deep sigh]
Jake
That’s so much of his appeal, y’know? Old school country music fans see him as a kind of messiah of the genre, people who wouldn’t consider themselves country fans still connect with that goddamn voice -- And hold up, Greta Van Fleet, is this a positive tangent or a negative one? Are we about to fight?
Rose
It. is…. A negative one. Are those fighting words?
Jake
I actually don’t give a single fuck about Greta Van Fleet, but I can pretend. Poke the bear, stoke the fire… Here: Why, Rose, don’t you know that Greta Van Fleet is one of the greatest and most original rock and roll bands of our time? Whatever could your Led Zeppelin fangirlish heart not like about Greta Van Fleet?
Rose
Shush shush shush! And listen, I’ve been trying for weeks to convince everyone that I am not a bear. This isn’t helping. And.. ugh.. I just.. I can’t. There was actual relief when you said you don’t give a single fuck because I was just so deflated if we were going to go at it over them. I just… [deep pained sighs] Led Zeppelin is so untouchable. So don’t touch them! Naming them as an influence is more than fine but I think we can listen to them and hear that they were more than influenced. Get your own sound! There, I said it. And yes yes, I know Robert Plant is way more chill about this than I am. He’s cool with them. But I refuse. My Led Zeppelin fangirlish heart is a stubborn one.
Jake
Y’all can’t see this right now, but Rose has, in fact, transformed into a bear. Thanks a lot, Greta Van Fleet.
Rose
The podcast will now be titled B-Sides and Fish. Thanks a lot, Greta Van Fleet. Alright, enough of this foolishness. But actually, I should have went with that and made it some kind of brilliant segue into things to eat… dinner.. Jacques and Gus. Give me some kind of background here. Hum me some Tennessee Whiskey. Can you handle that?
Jake
Sure, long as you don’t need it in any particular key…
Rose
I’ll take it how I can get it.
Jake
'Take it how I can get it.' Ain’t that just what every man loves to hear. [off-key humming of something vaguely Tennessee Whiskey-ish commences, along with the usual desk drumming]
Rose
[singing in the style of Tennessee Whiskey]
Used to spend my nights out at McDonalds
Big Macs were the only love I’ve known
But you rescued me for reaching for the secret sauce
And brought me back to Jacques & Gus
You’re as smooth as a Maine Lobster Roll
[humming stops as Jake starts to laugh]
You’re as sweet as a Chicken Slider Trio--
[singing ends]
Which, by the way, are both actual menu items at Jacques & Gus. So, there you go. Go get yourself into some of that.
Jake
Well, never going to be able to hear Tennessee Whiskey the same way again. Thank you for that.
Rose
My pleasure. It’s definitely still a song worthy of serenading that special someone with though, don’t you think?
Jake
Well, yeah, who doesn’t want to be as smooth as a Maine Lobster Roll? That’s a Tinder tagline if I’ve ever heard one.
Rose
Be right back while I just update something real quick… Meanwhile, do you have your next pick ready for us?
Jake
While Rose braces herself for an influx of right swipes -- is it right swipes you want? I know nothing about--...anyway. Let’s keep the mood nice and light with the closer from Stapleton’s second album, From A Room: Volume 1 -- Death Row. Here’s what I like about this one. Even if you dropped the vocals out from this one -- you shouldn’t, but if you did, you’d still get the point of the song. You’d still get the story. That cycling bass, all that repetition in the percussion, that ambient chain gang noise in the background, makes you feel like you really might be out here on the Green Mile somewhere. Not one to put on your Suppertime Vibes list, though.
Rose
You know what…? This one might have went under my radar even during the deep dive. This is a great song. I’m disappointed in myself. But I’m glad you pulled it out. You’re so right though. This is powerful with or without vocals. I love when songs tell a story and can be this evocative. That first line, regardless of what he says, it just hits. His voice. I don’t want to hear anyone else’s vocals on this track either. You’re right though. When do you listen to this? After dinner with a glass of whiskey maybe.
Jake
Oh yeah. Hell, that goes for the entire Chris Stapleton catalog. But this one in particular… Damn. It’ll either get you down, or it’ll make you feel better about whatever shit you’re going through -- at least you’re not on death row. ...unless you are. I have no idea how far-reaching this podcast’s gotten by now.
Rose
I think your sister is the farthest listener probably, yeah? But there you go. Either way, don’t say we didn’t warn you. That song will put you in a mood. We can’t guarantee what kind of mood though. So I’ll just follow it up with my last pick which is the epitome of the blues. Stripped down, simple lyrics, raw and gut wrenching vocals. You know what, Chris. Sometimes I Cry, too.
Jake
Look, usually this is the kind of song I’d skip past. And until last week, it was. But, for the sake of research, for the sake of this podcast, I made myself listen to the whole thing. That first “cry”, I was sold. In spite of myself, he got me. ...but this is your pick, tell us more about what grabs you about this one.
Rose
When you go into something with the mindset that you’re going to listen to everything all the way through, it really does change how you listen. And given the location of the track on the album, I overlooked it a lot too. But as soon as it started, I just had a feeling that it was going to resonate with me. I love the way it builds you up. Stops. Then builds it up again. I love the way he tells such a simple story but you know exactly how that feels. And how you hear it in his voice more than his words. The control he has over his voice and the things he can do. The range in this one song.. I’m here for it. Now, you want to talk about songs to get lost in while you’re high. This is one for me. That half a minute of just listening to him play guitar like that, I lose track of time in it. And you have to stick around until the end to get the full effect of his voice. Sometimes songs are just good or you particularly relate to them. And I feel that with this one. But it needs not to be skipped over. So I wanted to make sure it was on my list.
Jake
Yeah. Yeah, everything you just said is how I feel about what was almost my third pick, Whiskey Sunrise. Which, I suppose I can throw on my list as a bonus track. But my number three actually comes from outside of his solo work, a little anthem called Hey Girl. Between his time with The SteelDrivers and before he cut his first solo deal, he did a short run on lead vocals with a one-album band called The Jompson Brothers. I listened to that album for the first time a few days ago, and while a lot of it is pretty throwaway and the lyrics aren’t exactly profound, this song is just fun as hell.
Rose
Oh! I would not have guessed this would have made it. But also, why wouldn’t it? This is fun. It’s definitely fun. It puts me right in a rowdy honky tonk in Nashville. We seldom leave on a fun rockin’ note. We usually get all meaningful and bring it down. But I like it. I like where we are right now.
Jake
Gotta keep y’all on your toes out there.
Rose
Always. Which… you should give them a clue for next week now!
Jake
Bold of you to assume I remember who we’re reviewing next week…
Rose
You confused me! I was pretty sure it was Heart but then you made me second guess. But yeah. It’s Heart. And I’m so excited.
Jake
[laughs] That’s not a clue!
Rose
Uh.. no it’s not. Okay. If you can guess our … no… You might need magic, man, to guess our next artist. And you might be wondering how do I get you alone… to ask who it is? But don’t even try or Jake will go crazy on you. Nailed it!
Jake
Ooh, barracuda.
Rose
[laughter between words] You didn’t... Jake. I can barely breathe, I’m laughing too hard. Okay... bye!
Jake
As always, Bar Harbor, an absolute pleasure. You’re welcome, and goodbye.