Chris Stapleton Releases New Song “Broken Halos” (Listen)
The strange and stutter-stepped release of Chris Stapleton’s sophomore (and junior) album(s) From A Room, Volume: 1 and Volume: 2 continues, but the good news for Stapleton fans is they finally have a full song to lay their ears on.
Late Thursday evening (4-13)—or early Friday morning depending on your time zone—the full studio version of the opening track from the new album called “Broken Halos” populated across all major digital distributors of music and is now available for sale or streaming. The development is a little strange, seeing how it had already been announced that the song “Either Way”—a song Lee Ann Womack recorded in 2007 that was co-written by Stapleton (and Stapleton sang harmony on)—would be From A Room‘s first single. However there was no date revealed on when “Either Way” might be shipped to radio, only that it would be.
Does this mean that “Broken Halos” will be the new Chris Stapleton single and not “Either Way”? Not necessarily. It’s not unusual for an artist to preview multiple songs from an album before the release. Hopefully the sober light of morning will reveal more details, and perhaps some sort of plan that releasing “Broken Halos” without any fanfare or warning falls into.
Like multiple songs on From A Room: Volume 1, “Broken Halos” was co-written by Stapleton with SteelDrivers member Mike Henderson. Fans have also heard the new album’s “Second One To Know,” which Stapleton performed on the ACM Awards in early April. Stapleton’s From A Room: Volume 1 is now available for pre-order, along with pre-order bundles, and will be released on May 5th.
Hoptowntiger94
April 13, 2017 @ 10:14 pm
I love this song. Remember he “debuted” it during that Dolly Parton Smokey Mountain Pledge Drive?
Marc
April 13, 2017 @ 10:18 pm
Though I think any traditional step is a good sign, I find hard for to get behind Stapleton. There is something about his voice that doesn’t draw me in. However I hope his success will open doors for other artists.
Spoony
April 13, 2017 @ 11:47 pm
Very “soulful” and I agree to an extent. Not a fan of his version of Tennessee Whiskey for that reason, but his last album was still worth all the money it cost and he’s making waves in the music world for all the right reasons.
Kevin Davis
April 14, 2017 @ 9:16 am
It’s precisely his voice that draws me in…and the two million people who bought his album likely agree. Love this new song.
Marc
April 14, 2017 @ 3:44 pm
And 2 million listeners are a great thing. I hope he brought in a big number of people who don’t usually listen to country music. Maybe by listening to CS they will get turned onto Jinks, Simpson, Strickland etc. Nothing wrong with his voice just not “dirty” enough for me. Doesn’t make me want to laugh, cry, drink etc. He almost sounds like he could have been on one of reality shows. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I think he is great for country and hopefully he gets plenty of radio play.
Mary
April 13, 2017 @ 10:43 pm
He performed ” Second one to know” at the ACM. Not Up To No Good Living ( It sounds great on the preview)
Lil Dale boring country music comentar of the yeer
April 14, 2017 @ 12:07 am
its just not rocken
James Hooker
April 14, 2017 @ 5:19 am
Good groove and singing his ass off. But, when didn’t he?
Lindsey
April 14, 2017 @ 7:05 am
I’m likin’ it!
Spencer
April 14, 2017 @ 7:16 am
Hey Trigger, have you heard of the band called The SLVR Tongues? I just heard some of their brand new EP and can’t decide what I think of their sound. It’s very different from most anything else I’ve heard. I was wondering if you’re familiar with them and what your thoughts are about them?
Trigger
April 14, 2017 @ 7:47 am
I will have to check them out.
Spencer
April 14, 2017 @ 8:25 am
Fair warning: it’s not traditional country. I don’t know how to describe their sound. It’s progressive mixed with outlaw.
MH
April 14, 2017 @ 7:35 am
Incredible song and vocal.
Seak05
April 14, 2017 @ 7:43 am
I’m curious about how this will sell. It doesn’t have the big splashy iheart debut, but it is the first new Chris music available in a loooong time.
Trigger
April 14, 2017 @ 7:53 am
Right now it’s #5 on the iTunes chart, though the iTunes chart is not always the best indicator. Not the best showing if you’re looking for an indication of a pent up spending appetite, but it’s still early. It’s #1 on Amazon in country at the moment. Letting it trickle out at midnight right before a holiday weekend when everyone else is agog with the new Kendrick Lamar is probably not the best way to control the narrative.
seak05
April 14, 2017 @ 8:04 am
I agree, though itunes always releases at midnight. It’ll be more interesting to see how it fares, nw that everyone woke up and is writing articles about it.
(and um, yeah, if we’re being honest I’m one of the people agoging at the new Kendrick album)
Stringbuzz
April 14, 2017 @ 8:19 am
I wish him the best.
The last album grew on me.. It took me a while to fully appreciate it, but I finally do. It is quality.
I still don’t know what it was that made him multi-platinum, but better him than some of the other clowns.
I still prefer Cody, Sturgill, Whitey, and other more recent artists, but I don’t take anything away from Chris. Everyone has personal tastes..
Cool Lester Smooth
April 14, 2017 @ 8:34 am
Stapleton’s superstar, “Who is that man?” voice has insane crossover appeal.
jtrpdx
April 14, 2017 @ 10:37 am
Those are my exact thoughts, although I still don’t think he has fully grown on me and when I feel like listening to country, he never crosses my mind (I am still trying though!). What made him popular is the promotional backing of the big awards shows and “country” radio. Don’t get me wrong, I think he is a very talented blues / soul / rock singer and good writer, but without the decision of the nashville big boys to push him into the award show slots, the awards themselves, and the radio play, he never would have seen the success. Hell, if Traveler would have never gained any attention from the award shows or “country” radio, I don’t think there would be many people out there who would be surprised or would be saying “where the heck is Stapleton’s nomination”………I think it would have just gone down as a good americana / southern rock / blusey / country influenced album that would have sold a fraction of what it did. I do agree that it is a good thing for the state of mainstream pop “country” that he is getting the attention he is getting, as he is a hell of a lot more deserving than others who are being promoted by mainstream country power players and would otherwise be there in his place.
Cool Lester Smooth
April 14, 2017 @ 10:40 am
He got his break because Justin Timberlake likes his music, not by the decree of the Nashville tastemakers.
He blew up, and subsequently received award recognition, because the industry was desperate to get JT to perform at at the CMAs, and he brought Stapleton onstage with him.
seak05
April 14, 2017 @ 11:19 am
I mean just for the record, Chris was signed to WME and LN & a big label. He wrote for Luke, Blake etc. Don’t kid yourself, music row likes Chris, even if radio doesn’t play him.
Cool Lester Smooth
April 14, 2017 @ 12:21 pm
No doubt — he absolutely played the game, and it’s paid off for him.
Claiming that his award show slot was the result of “the decision of Nashville big boys,” rather than the fact that he’s boys with JT, is simply incorrect, though.
Trigger
April 14, 2017 @ 2:28 pm
Luke Bell is also signed with WME, along with many other artists that didn’t blow up like Stapleton.
Saying that Stapleton got to the top due to a big Nashville push is giving them way too much credit. Not only is his record on radio dubious at best, they have no clue what to do with him. If this continuing album roll out doesn’t convince you of that yet, nothing else will. Yes, Stapleton benefited greatly from name recognition in the industry after working on Music Row for years. But make that a credit to Chris Stapleton, not the industry. Music Row still doesn’t know how how all of this happened, and how anyone can sell 2 million albums in the age of streaming.
Seak05
April 14, 2017 @ 2:59 pm
You will get zero argument from me on the roll out, it’s beyond bizarre. It’s like they’ve never released an album before. And very clearly Chris has done well because he is inanely talented.
However, the idea that Music Row doesn’t like Chris is also BS (not know what to do with him is a diff issue). He was never a Sturgill style insurgent. Chris won 3 cma awards that night too, Sturgill has still never even received a final nomination.
Jtrpdx
April 14, 2017 @ 6:32 pm
Agree somewhat, Trigg. But, there are other people out there who, put into the same right place at the right time / ACM recognition, big money “country” darling scenario, could have also done really well. No to say that any of them would agree to perform with JT, but It would be interesting to see what would happen to a Jinks or a Jamey Johnson if they were in the same set of stars aligning circumstances. Not to mention Sturgill. Margo Price also comes to mind. No way to know for sure, but I would put a lot of money on them having similar success. Having said that, I would guess that Stapleton would still sell more records (assuming all of them were given equal industry attention) due to his broad crossover appeal from his heavy tilt toward southern rock, etc. vs. traditional country. Not to mention the fact that his background as a professional songwriter definitely leads him to write from a perspective of putting stuff out that is fit for mass consumption…..which in my mind is clear on his forthcoming album from what i have heard thus far.
jtrpdx
April 14, 2017 @ 12:21 pm
But he won 3 CMA’s the same night he performed with Timberlake. My guess is that those awards were decided based on factors beyond Timberlake liking him, and he would have had a key performance slot that night, Timberlake or not.
Cool Lester Smooth
April 14, 2017 @ 12:34 pm
I mean, maybe it was the fact that he’d produced the best album by anyone signed to a major Nashville label, haha.
They like him because he’s an excellent songwriter, isn’t a dick about it, and has the voice for crossover appeal.
seak05
April 14, 2017 @ 1:26 pm
correct, he had a slot that night bc of all the nominations, not bc he was boys with Timberlake. And he got all the noms (& wins) bc Music Row likes him, he’s signed to the right people, and his album was great. The JT angle though, def got him a better slot, and als generated a ton of buzz, which helped the sales explosion.
Stringbuzz
April 14, 2017 @ 11:53 am
Honestly, what did it for me was the jukebox..
I am out quite a bit listening to juke boxes. Someone is always playing him..
Cool Lester Smooth
April 14, 2017 @ 8:32 am
DAMN, that’s a gorgeous song.
albert
April 14, 2017 @ 10:00 am
DAMN ….that really is a gorgeous song and an incredibly passionate performance totally supported by the arrangement and equally passionate harmony vocal . THIS IS COUNTRY RADIO in a just musical climate . THIS lyric and performance is what country radio could and should be . The lyric and song first , the performance second and the musical arrangement/production the glue . In almost every respect , contemporary country music has this completely backwards …production/groove first …ridiculously meaningless lyric hook second….and an ” any singer will do as long as they look trendy ” attitude .
Fuck country radio when there is all of this ‘honest magic’ looking for a time and place to move us .
albert
April 14, 2017 @ 10:14 am
”the music itself has added weight. Productions in the 21st century are often so elaborate that some of the emotional content in the background — programmed piano chords or background voices — are sensed at a subliminal level. Historically, country’s instruments were given more separation in the arrangements, more carefully framing the voice and the story at the center of the performance.”
…….Billboard
MH
April 14, 2017 @ 12:37 pm
In other words, the way it should be done.
Trigger
April 14, 2017 @ 2:29 pm
I see what you did there Cool Lester Smooth, if nobody else did. 😉
seak05
April 14, 2017 @ 3:14 pm
(I did, but it’d work better if it was a song title, and not solely the album title :p)
Cool Lester Smooth
April 17, 2017 @ 8:08 am
Best song that got released on Friday, haha.
(And that’s no knock on Mr. Duckworth)
Dobe Daddy
April 14, 2017 @ 8:55 am
Damn good song. Looking forward to the new album.
Razor X
April 14, 2017 @ 10:19 am
Liking this song a lot.
Andrew
April 14, 2017 @ 11:02 am
Anyone else getting a Springsteen vibe? Great song!
Justin s
April 14, 2017 @ 12:39 pm
I was thinking maybe a little more tom petty to me I don’t know why
Robert St
April 14, 2017 @ 11:13 am
“Hopefully the sober light of morning will reveal more details, and perhaps some sort of plan that releasing “Broken Halos” without any fanfare or warning falls into.”
Yeah, their strategy on the song releases confuses me a little. I thought “Either Way” was going to be first, then “Halos” just sort of slid out there. Ultimately, I’m just glad that new music is getting out at all. I got back into listening to music in earnest when I heard Chris Stapleton a few years back, leading up to “What Are You Listening To ?” I’ll see him with Brent Cobb next week, and intend to visit Butcher Holler while I’m in that part of the country.
Vin
April 14, 2017 @ 12:04 pm
Traveler is obviously a tough album to follow up.. but damn this song is a great start.. can’t wait to hear the rest of the album.
The Whippoorwill
April 14, 2017 @ 12:06 pm
I agree the business strategy is confusing. On one hand I think it’s smart to let people preview the entire album, but the rollout has been surprisingly strange. Either way, he should do fine on his own but still, the management of it all is shaky.
I like the song a lot. It’s such a well-written song, and while a lot of Traveler seemed to drag on after awhile, this has somewhat of a pulse to it. Really excited for the album now.
countryfan24
April 14, 2017 @ 12:29 pm
Loving this, very excited to hear the entirety of the new album – (well, Volume 1, that is!)
I’m going to digress a little but, Trigger, have you listened to the new Brad Paisley instant track, “Gold All Over the Ground” – an adaption of an old Johnny Cash poem and produced by his son, John Carter Cash? Pretty great stuff – love the simplicity of the production, too! Here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4oH4–fVFE
Trigger
April 14, 2017 @ 2:36 pm
Yes, I may have something on that soon.
Jordan
April 14, 2017 @ 2:13 pm
Shenandoah feel anybody?
seak05
April 14, 2017 @ 2:27 pm
Sirius “the highway” is now spinning this. Either the label is thinking about releasing this as a single, or they’re just desperate for Chris music. But honestly, how has the label not pushed a single yet.
seak05
April 14, 2017 @ 7:52 pm
So in an article about Sam Hunt the UMG person said they are pushing the Chris single to radio same week as album release. I can actually see this making sense, if they have an hourly airplay radio deal in place.
mary c hayden
April 14, 2017 @ 4:08 pm
I like this song. Hope it gets radio play
Jtrpdx
April 14, 2017 @ 9:36 pm
Does anyone else hear John Mellencamp’s “ain’t that America” when they listen to the song? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_3IICY5NKC0
I’m not accusing it of being a ripoff (it lacks the catchy Mellencamp chorus for one thing), but for some reason I can’t get a not so good Mellencamp vibe out of my head when listening to it. Maybe I am crazy!
albert
April 14, 2017 @ 11:59 pm
rod stewart’s ‘broken arrow’
Jack Williams
April 17, 2017 @ 8:34 am
You mean Pink Houses? No, I don’t.
Whiskey_Pete
April 16, 2017 @ 4:57 pm
I was just waiting for the steel guitar to drop..