Chris Stapleton has announced that his fifth studio album, Higher, will drop on November 10th via Mercury Nashville. As a preview, he’s also shared the record’s first single, “White Horse.” Listen to the song below.
Co-produced by Stapleton along with his wife Morgane Stapleton and his longtime collaborator Dave Cobb, Higher is the first LP from the 45-year-old country star since 2020’s Starting Over. The 14-track album will “span genres and defy easy categorization,” according to a press release. Pre-orders are ongoing.
The single “White Horse” certainly suggests that Stapleton is leaning into his strengths as a cross-genre act. Lyrics about cowboys “ridin’ off into the sunset” create a classic country vibe, but the electric guitar-driven arrangement feels akin to straight-up rock music, with a thick wall of sound delivering the powerful harmonic progression, and a guitar solo that’s a whole lot closer to Lynyrd Skynyrd than Chet Atkins. All the while, Stapleton’s crisp, soaring vocals could go toe-to-toe with any of the powerhouse vocalists who typically top the pop charts. Stream the song below.
Even before the announcement of this new album, Stapleton has been having a busy year. In February, he sang the National Anthem at SuperBowl LVII. Then, in May, he appeared in the Disney+ musical series The Muppets Mayhem. Last month, he appeared on a new track by Carly Pearce entitled “We Don’t Fight Anymore.”
Stapleton is also currently on the road for his “All American Road Show” tour, which kicked off this past March and will run through the end of October. Check out the full list of dates, and grab your tickets here.
Higher Artwork:
Higher Tracklist:
01. What Am I Gonna Do
02. South Dakota
03. Trust
04. It Takes a Woman
05. The Fire
06. Think I’m in Love with You
07. Loving You on My Mind
08. White Horse
09. Higher
10. The Bottom
11. The Day I Die
12. Crosswind
13. Weight of Your World
14. Mountains of My Mind