Album Review: Chris Stapleton - Traveller

In this episode of The Sonic Collective, we take a deeper look at an artist we all knew by reputation but had never fully explored as we review Chris Stapleton’s 2015 debut album, Traveller.

We praise Stapleton’s powerful, emotionally expressive voice, songwriting background, and ability to blend traditional country with blues, rock, and soul, with particular attention to the album’s storytelling, authenticity, and Stapleton’s musical partnership with his wife, Morgane. We also reflect on his breakthrough performance with Justin Timberlake at the 2015 CMA Awards.

While some of us found the album somewhat slow or wished for more upbeat tracks, we all agreed that Traveller is a strong, heartfelt introduction to modern country music. The consensus is that its emotional honesty and stripped-back production make it especially appealing even to listeners who aren't normally country fans.

The episode closes with Scott Gregory announcing our next album review: Britney Spears’ 2007 album, Blackout.

Alain Dupuis and The Sonic Collective

Album Scores (Out of 5)

Combined Score
Recommend: 4.5
Influence: 3.5
Overall: 4

Darren's Score
Recommend: 4.5
Influence: 4
Overall: 4

Scott C's Score
Recommend: 4
Influence: 2.5
Overall: 3.5

Scott G's Score
Recommend: 4
Influence: 3.5
Overall: 4.5

Alain's Score
Recommend: 4
Influence: 3.5
Overall: 4

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Welcome to the Sonic Collective for Music Past, Music Future. Join hosts Alan Scott Scott and Darren Scott as we explore the album's artists and movements that shape the music we love today. From legendary records and influential musicians to rising artists creating smart soundtrack. We're passionate about helping music fans discover what matters. While streaming algorithms push what they're paid to promote, we dig deeper, connecting you with the classics you need to revisit and the new artists you need to hear. Rediscover the music that shaped the past. Discover the artists shaping the future. This is the Sonic Collective.

SPEAKER_04 0:37

Hey everybody, thanks for tuning in. It is Alan here for the Sonic Collective, joined by Darren Scott, Scott Coates, and Scott Gregory. It was my turn to choose our album to review for July of 2026. Now, if you are unaware, all of us have either lived in or currently live in Calgary, Alberta, home of the Calgary Stampede. And every July, for ten glorious days, the city puts on a cowboy hat and fully embraces cowboy culture. Whether we've earned it or not. And uh as part of this year's festivities, I was actually invited to play the drums with a friend's band uh downtown at a Stampede Breakfast. And one of the songs in our set was a song called Parachute by Chris Stapleton. And somewhere between learning the tune and playing it live, I realized something, and that is despite knowing who Chris Stapleton is for years, and despite his reputation as one of the biggest names in modern country music, I've never actually sat down and really listened to any of his albums or any of his music at all with intention. So my relationship with his music has always had this kind of transitory vibe to it. I would hear a song every now and again, maybe on the radio or at a bar, maybe at karaoke night. I'd acknowledge the song was good or he's talented and then just kind of move on with my life. And so this realization made my choice for this month's review really easy. I picked Chris Stapleton's debut album, Traveler. I will throw it over to Darren to get his thoughts and maybe a bit of insight into Chris Stapleton and this album.

SPEAKER_03 2:27

Thanks, Alan. Very similar to you, I was aware of Chris Stapleton, have been for a while. I'd heard songs on whatever Spotify, mixes, radio, whatever, and liked him. Like I draw I'm drawn to that older school country, your Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson kind of guys, and that was when I was young. So I've always liked that. And over the years of this podcast, too, we've started to review more country over time. And it's actually I've grown more akin because I think when I originally moved from Prince Edward Island to Alberta way back in 1990, I was I did I knew nothing about country. I think living in Alberta, like you said, it's more prevalent here, definitely more, and you're right, you can't avoid it at the Calgary Stampede. You like the hits, it's it's a lot of it common or sorry, more pop-based country is prevalent on a lot of the the Stampede things. But you get artists like this and it just kind of catches your attention. We recently did Coulter Wall, I had picked him, Saskatchewan artist from Canada here. If you haven't heard of him, go for go back and listen to our review to see if you want to listen to him. But yeah, very interesting voice, but rooted in that classic old school country sound as well, and very distinct voice. And using the word voice, I think first of all, I have to say Chris Stapleton, man, what a voice. I don't know if you guys will agree or disagree, but I think he's known for that. And there's something he has this, not every single, he can change his voice. He has such good pitch control, but he has this weird almost, and Alan is more trained in this, but almost like a vibrato at times, where he just I funny, in the car I'll try and sing. I cannot sing. I can maybe in a very limited range I can, like anybody can, but I don't have a big range. But I was trying to even emulate and I couldn't even come close. And it sounds like what he's doing is simple, but it is not. He is a very talented vocalist, and that caught my attention right away. I'm like, wow, this guy can just, he just gets you. And you know, one word that keeps coming up, it just like he comes off as just very authentic, down to earth. And I think if you've seen pictures and you usually do now or videos, and he's just like, he's just like kind of a long-haired, hippie, chubby looking older guy. And I forget his age, but I think he's 40 now, or maybe he's close. He's should know that. 48, yeah. I knew he was older, so he really kicked off his career later, and I think there's a lot to be said for that. He he was known as a songwriter first. He wrote for Luke Bryan, George Strait, like Kenny Chesney, Thomas Rhett. It reminds me of we uh again, my pick. I'm not trying to just harp on my picks, but I picked Gordon Lightfoot, another Canadian artist, seems to be a trend there, not too long ago as well. And one thing about Gordon Lightfoot is that he started as a songwriter and is known for writing many famous songs for other artists. And that's exactly who Chris Stapleton was. He was well known in the songwriters industry and with other artists long before he became the front guy for his own band. He had been in bands, but he kind of resigned himself, like, oh, I'm a good writer and I like writing songs, and that's kind of gonna be my career, and I'll call it that. But I think he was just slowly put in front of the mic and it just grew his own songs to what they are. And I think there's a lot to be said for that, and it comes up, it does come off very genuine, and I legitimately believe he is. Like he's just a very talented guy that worked hard at it, and you know, I don't think he necessarily had anything given to him. Wasn't like he was raised in a super rich family and he was overproduced. He just had a love of music. He was a football player. He actually listened to one podcast. He said like he would have preferred if he'd go back, he's oh, I would have rather been a football star than a singer. And I'm like, wow, like that's funny you would even say that. I I guess he played kind of high school and college football for a bit. And so yeah, he loved to play football. It's just everybody has these hidden talents. But I really liked that. I was just drawn to the songs right away. It's easy listening. It's kind of one of those artists, too, that like your grandma's gonna like them. And my kids, I have a 15-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old son, and they both are super into them. Actually, my son caught me listening to it. He's oh, you're listening to that album. He's like, That's like my favorite album. And I actually didn't even know that to specifically. I'm like, Oh, Zach, I had no idea. And and I'm like, I knew he liked country and I he had listened to him, but but that shows you the demographics that he's hitting, which like that alone is just crazy. That's the song of a true songwriter. So I mean, I think he's just such a good role model for a lot of artists out there now and very respected across all genres. You know, I'll add one stat and I'll pass it on and oh, we'll come back. But he really wasn't discovered it until 2015, which is when this album came out. He launched it, but I guess Justin Timberlake was a massive fan. And so when he went on the Country Music Awards, the CMAs, Timberlake, I think, asked to even, hey, can I be part of it? So he actually Timberlake, you know, not from the country sphere at all, but gave him credit and they went on and they did his two songs. I think they did Tennessee Whiskey and Drink You Away, this kind of weird mix, and performed that live. And I guess right after that, he went from like obscure artists his album was selling well, but it grew like 6,000% instantly after that show, and then all of a sudden the world was like, Who is this Chris Stapleton? You know, so thanks, Justin Timberlake. Weird, but a cool pop artist helping him out. But that was his big break, and then I think from there he's kind of never looked back. I'm rambling on, it's obviously I very much like him, but uh Scott Gregory, uh, what did you think?

SPEAKER_00 8:12

Yeah, thanks. Yeah, when I look back at Traveler, I'm I am surprised too that I never ran into it before this because I instantly vibed with it. And every time we we pick a country album, I make sure to say I grew up in a country house. My mom was the music director for country at the local radio station. She loved bringing her work home with her. She was all big into 60s and 70s and early 80s country. So this fits in real tight with that, right? I figured the algorithm, because I've been hitting that show me different stuff, new stuff, based on what I listen to, based on like all the outlaw and southern rock and that I listen to. He looks like Leonard Skinner's love child, right? It's crazy. Uh but he's not just doing this Lazarus act on classic Outlaw Country, right? I think that'd be selling this album short. Uh, I'm I'll just go through a couple songs because I think that's the best way to really look at this album. The title track Traveler, it if you want to dig deep into the lyrics, it's a road trip song that's written about a parent's death and that it's a massive country cliche in its way, but I think the execution here, again, this is part of the magic that you have when some of these artists come back, they take these cliches and they tackle them and they find a way to make them new and interesting again. And his restrained approach to this, it just lacks this typical Nashville melodrama that might have come around it. He doesn't oversell the grief in it or anything like that. He just leans into it. It's got this weary kind of momentum to it, and it's really relying on that acoustic guitar and that tight vocal blending with his wife Morgain. And I guess I want to talk about that for a while, right? Because her backing vocals throughout the entire album, they're not just decorative, right? She's in there, she's participating, she's an active anchor for a lot of these songs, and she's essentially in the passenger seat along with him, just grounding this guy in this case, who's completely uh adrift. And it shouldn't have really worked on 2015 radio. People should have been tired of the tropes and all that stuff, but it's an earworm, it's great, it's exactly why it cut through the noise, is no one else was doing it because I don't think they could have done it in an interesting way. But the that power of his voice, the combination with Morgaine there, it really worked. And I think people hear a husband and wife singing together in country music, and many old heads like me, they'll immediately think of someone like Johnny Cash and June Carter. But I think that Chris and Morgain they operate on a completely different psychological wavelength than that was Johnny and June, their studio dynamic. It was more of a theatrical tent revival energy, but Morgain, on the other hand, she's not trying to pull Chris out of the dark. Her harmonies mimic him, and it's so perfect that she feels just like it's an extension of his own voice and emotion, right? It's not counterpoint or anything like that for most of the time. She isn't saving him from the road or from the bottle or anything like that. She's riding shotgun through that wreckage and matching the grief step for step. And I think that really powers this song and a lot of the others on the album. Tennessee Whiskey. I think that's one of the better one known ones here. I think that was honestly the only song I'd heard by him before coming into this album. Uh, I think that's where some real subversion happens on this. It wasn't a standard, it's a cover, it's not a standard cover by any way, right? He totally took George Jones' song, real hardcore country standard, and then he used Edit James's I'd rather go blind and build something completely new out of those two songs. It was crazy, it was just brilliant. I couldn't believe it. I actually, it's probably one of the few songs I would have recognized. I was like, wait a minute, I know this song, and that's not this song. What is that song? And I had to go dig deep on it, right? And it just works, right? He took just this working class identity song and he injected it with this black American soul and just boom, in a way like a non-Elvis kind of way, right? Where I think it can be uh appreciated uh something other than appropriation, and that I think it forces the the listener to just really experience that country vocal phrasing, but through a completely different lens. He's stretching those syllables, he's sitting behind the beat, he's got that grit in there, and it's not just for decoration, he's like you can just feel the exhaustion and redemption in his voice. And honestly, throughout it, that that grit and exhaustion and real emotiveness in it really had me comparing this in particular to the Highwomen album by Whalen and Cash and Christofferson and them in '85. And I think there's some big differences still, though. But where I think the Highwayman is like it's really big, it's cinematic, it's like a Mount Rushmore kind of thing, right? With all these country legends that are in there, and they're just saying, Hey, 80s pop country, we're still here, remember your roots, things are great. I think Traveler, he internalizes that outlaw side of things. He's not a four-man supergroup, right? That they're passing this baton between them. It all has to be personal for him because he's the only one there, right? And he has to just channel that entire spectrum that you could have split across four different artists to just his own country grit and style, right? He's got that southern rock power, a little bit of RB and soul going in his vocals, and I think he squeezes that all out all the time. And yeah, I think both successfully reminded in their time generations of country fans uh of the genre's roots. Some people might think that it's like the Kendrick Lamar moment for rap where they're like, hey, you don't forget about the 80s and stuff like that. Remember your roots, guys. And yeah, country, I think though, has had several more generations to go through that. Although rap's not really that young anymore, but country is still twice as old and have gone through the loop more often than that, right? Um, I'll just close out on fire away. Most country songs about heavy relationships, they are always like, Oh, it's gonna be about anger. We're being a martyr. And I think that Stableton just approaches the mental health side of this with just brutal empathy. There's a lot of changing dynamics on the song, and it's really quite amazing. He starts out in the whisper, he builds and he builds, and eventually gets this full-throated, uncompressed scream by the time you get to the chorus. And to Darren's point, I could never do that in the car. There's no way I could do one side of the range, let alone the entire range. I wouldn't sound good whispering or going out maxing out my vocal cords like he does. It's obviously uncomfortable, and but that discomfort is what gives this album like staying power. I think you can hear that that pure emotion. And in closing, I actually wanted to bring up the Timberlake 2015 CMAs as well, too. And and and what actually happened was that Timberland had reached out to him, Timberland, Timberlake had reached out to him before and said, Hey, I heard you, you sound great. We should do something together sometime. And then when they approached Stapleton for the performance, he's like, I think I got someone. I want to do something. And his wife was the one that said, You should call JT and get this thing going. And I thought it was great, right? Timberlake has vocal chops across several genres, including soul, and he doesn't embarrass himself on that song at all. But I think the power of this is just very clear that Stapleton's voice is built for country in contrast, right? We can see what happens when even an extremely accomplished singer from a different genre tries to sing his lyrics. There was just no comparison for me, and that's no knock against Justin, right? In fact, credit to him. He didn't try to pull some cliche twang or I keep hot sauce in my bag kind of moment, anything, right? He very much was kind and respectful in his performance. His backing vocals were very generous, but just his verses just showed that Chris's voice is the right tool for the job. You can't sub out on that. And I guess that's my assessment to this album in general, is it was the right tool for the job to bring 2010's country back to its roots and his voice, its tone, its emotiveness. It's likely one of the few in the genre at that moment could that could have done an album like this justice. So I really enjoyed it. I'm glad you picked it, Alan. I talked a lot. Scott, what do you think?

SPEAKER_01 17:05

Wow, I am not gonna have the depth or complexity that either of you have had. Mine will be a bit short compared to this. I think you've covered the bases of who he is. I'd heard the name Chris Stapleton, but I've realized living in Thailand for so many years, I'm just not hooked into country music really, right? It just doesn't come up day to day. I probably don't follow what's popular in any genre as closely as I maybe should. So I knew the name, but I also realized I don't know country music today. So I think when Darren picked Coulter Wall a few months back, that was probably kind of the newest piece of country I had heard in years and years, right? You talked about the Highwaymen. I think I picked a Willie Nelson album, etc. So never heard him before. I had no idea which ones were his hits, and in fact, I didn't even know what he looked like until just about 10 minutes ago when I went to the interweb and plugged in his name and saw what he looks like. So for me, I'm coming in pretty blind. But I've got to say, the voice, very solid, very rich voice, as as you guys have identified already. Interesting, you called out that he's a songwriter first, right? And it often seems, if you look regardless of genre of music, if you look back decades and decades, it's usually the songwriters that are the best artists, right? When they actually come out and start recording on their own. Not like this, but I saw I think it was Clive Davis talking about Barry Manlow, and Barry Manlow didn't want to be a singer, he just wanted to be a songwriter, and he convinced him to be one. And he's huge, and you see it with Chris Stapleton. So great voice. In many ways, there's a fine line here. I'm starting to hear what's modern country, right? It's country, it's rock, it's blues. And I heard that in parachute, and I think Alan or somebody called out parachute earlier, and that one hit me right away. So I'm not sure if that was a big hit, but parachute was the first one that really jumped out to me, and it was like, ooh, this is a neat blend of sounds. Again, country, rock, blues. It's changed country since again what I think of country, and I'm pretty out of touch, but I enjoyed this. I listened to it probably five times, which is quite a number of times for me to get around to a pick. So it fit the bill for whatever I was seeming to do. To get into a few songs, Traveler. I thought it was just a great start to an album and a great statement of who and what he is and what he's about to deliver to you. I didn't realize until just earlier this week this was his first album, too. So I thought, oh, I wonder, is this five albums in, or is this relatively at the beginning of his career? So I was like, oh, okay, this is neat to now realize that what I'm hearing, Traveler, is the first song anyone would have heard in theory from this guy when he started out. You've identified Tennessee Whiskey. I'm thinking now it must be one of the hits, but yeah, that's just a fun, nice song that would definitely be on a playlist. I found Sometimes I Cry, a rich and soulful song that kind of got me a little more than I I would normally go to a song like that. And no one, nobody to blame was another one that really stood out to me. Yeah, overall, just a solid album, solid experience. Good intro to me of again modern country. Enjoyed it. Don't know as it'll make a permanent rotation of my playlist, but certainly enjoyed the experience. So I'll hand it over to Alan.

SPEAKER_04 20:00

Thanks, guys. Really cool to see that we're uh we're all pretty aligned here. I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again many times over before my life is through. I'm not really a big country music guy, and I never have been. Uh, but like you, Darren, in recent years, I've kind of been warming up to the genre and getting to acquaint myself with it a little bit. Yeah, and I mean there are there are some country music artists that I will willingly listen to when the mood strikes. And after sitting with this album, Traveler, for the last month, I think Chris Stapleton falls into this category for me of casual enjoyment country. And I appreciated my time with the album. There's a lot to like about it, though not every song on the album resonated with me the same way, but I think that's it's kind of par for the course for most albums, really. I mean, this one has 14 tracks, it's over an hour long, so definitely on the longer end of of albums, at least as uh as we prefer them. I think we've all kind of gone on record time and again saying that we think maybe like 45 to 50 minutes is kind of the sweet spot for an album. Anything longer, it's kind of tough to sit with and focus on. You know, especially for an ADHD having guy like myself. I'm I'm more of a playlist guy, so I gotta be in the mood really to listen to a full album by by any artist in particular. But this Stapleton album kind of surprised me at just how easy it was to listen to. There are a few standout tracks for me that I will list off in no particular order, but it sounds like there's a bit of overlap here. Sometimes I cry. Freaking love that song. That might be and maybe one of my favorites on the album. Love the tone of the guitar, the production's really tight. There's some reverb and depth and moodiness to that one. It's very bluesy, and I think that was the one that I kept coming back to the most. And you know, we've already talked about. Stapleton's vocal abilities, but I think on this song in particular, those those vocals really shine through. Kind of surprised they chose to end the album with this song. It I mean it's a bit of a slower jam, but it is vibey. Parachute, the song that kind of kicked off this whole thing and kept getting stuck in my head. Although that could just be because I had to learn how to play it on the drums, so I'm perhaps too familiar with it at this point. But I'm sure it'll end up on my Spotify wrapped at the end of the year for that reason. Nobody to blame. I'm not sure if this is a personal tale or just written through the lens of a fictional protagonist or whatever, but I enjoyed it nonetheless for its storytelling. Country music and storytelling. Man, those guys know how to get you hooked into a story. Nobody to blame. Just yeah, listen to it for yourself. It's it's fun. And Daddy doesn't pray anymore. That one kind of caught me by surprise because like the first few times I listened to it, I thought, man, this is such a downer, and it's like a religious song or whatever. And it is, but after kind of learning about the backstory of this album, like his dad passed away, and he kind of went on this big road trip to suss out his feelings or whatever. And like when you realize how deeply personal this song is to him, you can really feel it. Like it permeates through your headphones there. Not a vibe song by any means, but um I I felt something when I listened to it. And for me, that cathartic interaction of music is what makes me love music. So that one was uh another standout. And of course, I have to say, Tennessee whiskey, that's always gonna have a soft spot in my heart because it reminds me of the good old days when I would host or attend karaoke and hear mediocre renditions of it at midnight at the local dive bar. And yeah, I I only learned it was a cover maybe a couple years ago. My country repertoire is really not up to snuff. Um I I did touch on the power of the storytelling with with country musicians. Like they're all somehow they're just damn good storytellers and they can weave a narrative and make you really feel it. So that was all very present on this album, and I think there was a lot of witty and clever wordplay as well. We've all mentioned it, so I don't feel like I need to speak on it too much, but obviously, like Stapleton's voice, just in general, is tremendous. He's got power behind it, but he's also he's got this ability to control it, and it's really no surprise to me whatsoever that he transitioned so well from being this behind-the-scenes songwriter guy to becoming a powerhouse performance artist himself because he has skills to pay the bills on on both sides of that equation. And you know, not for nothing, but I love that he does the vocals with his wife. That's super cute and wholesome. That's the dream, right? To be able to make music with your significant other. It's kind of like marrying the two things you love the most, and it's obvious he loves them both. He even wrote a song about it, and uh it's called Devil Called Music on this album. So, yeah, overall, really solid album. I was surprised, actually, at how much I liked it. I mean, I knew that I liked Parachute, and I knew Tennessee Whiskey was a classic. I didn't quite know what else to expect, and this album did not disappoint. Let's jump into the scores and I'll throw it back over to you, Darren.

SPEAKER_03 25:37

Yeah, thanks. And uh yeah, I didn't really name any songs I liked, but and it's funny, like we almost named the whole album, and one I really like, we haven't named yet, was it 26? I really found that a very catchy, unique tune, and just even how he delivers that course, like was it 26? Yeah, it just really caught me. But yeah, there it's a great album. It's a great album. You know, I think he's a great artist. Apparently, he's quite shy. I bet I guess he's a perfectionist, but production-wise, I mean it sounds great, but it's not overproduced. So I think he's perfectionist with his his sounds, but he it keeps it real simple. This was also recorded at RCA Studio A in Nashville. That is a very famous studio. You know, if you heard of Sound City in LA, this has kind of got that same kind of stigma associated with it, more in the country Nashville music scene. So very famous but older studio. So he really wanted to record it there to capture the authenticity and that oldness. Similar to if you go and watch the Sound City movie, Dave Grohl really wanted to do that with that Foo Fighters album and go back and capture the sound of that famous room. And that's something to kind of take note on as well. Yeah, just amazing. One quote, and I'll get to my scores that I found not mine, but somebody said this is emotional honesty over polish. And I was like, Yeah, that's a good way to say to describe this album. So with that, I mean, for me, I think recommend I'm a 4.5. I think unless you're just like absolutely tragically hate country music, I think I this is an album you should listen to give country music a chance. Influence. I did find it, it does have similar sounds to some older country songs. It even has a cover, and even though he does them amazingly, it's obviously an influential album, but I think it doesn't deviate too much. I think it'll just be known as a great album and him as an artist, but I'm coming in at four there. And that puts me over all the four. I mean, it could have easily almost been all fives for me. He's that good, but uh yeah, an amazing album there. So I'll throw it over to Scott G.

SPEAKER_00 27:35

Yeah, and Alan. I don't think you have to be too embarrassed that you didn't recognize Tennessee whiskey, right? Because it and knowing that it's a cover, it sounds nothing like the George Jones song, right? You can easily get into a situation where you think it's like creep by TLC, by STP, and by Radiohead, right? Sometimes songs are just named the same, and if they don't sound anything alike, then you're not gonna know, right? And I think that is again speaks to the beauty of what he's been able to accomplish here.

SPEAKER_04 28:02

I think David Alan Co did a cover of it as well, and I'm not sure if that came before Stableton or after, but worth checking out.

SPEAKER_00 28:10

Yeah, I'll have to. I I like that song, you know, those permutations. So the lyrics themselves are really great. So I'm always interested to see what people do with great lyrics. Green Sleeves is another one that I think is really great to throw it way back and see how people treat that differently. For my scores for this one, uh influence, I'm gonna say four. I again always have that did it influence me in the time, and did it influence me to any action now kind of thing, right? And I think this type of music influenced me in my youth. I didn't listen to this when it first came out, but this is really sparking me to not only go back and listen to the outlaw roots that I grew up in, but some more stapleton, and then to also say, you know what, maybe there's a whole mining I can do of country and find there's obviously people who are still making country that vibes with what I like. I'm not really a big country pop kind of guy, I'd rather just listen to pop, and so this is giving me hope, and so it's influencing me real honestly to go through and dig. Recommend. I'm gonna give a five. I think there's a lot of crossover potential for people who like southern rock, who just like a real tight lyrical journey. It isn't overproduced, so you the authenticity, you know, like even if you're not a natural fan of country, I think if you're a fan of authentic music, this could draw you in as well. So I highly recommend this as an entry point into country if it hasn't been there for you before, and and just a real good solid album to listen to. Overall, that puts me at a 4.5. Uh, and I will throw over to Scott.

SPEAKER_01 29:54

Thanks, Scott. Yeah, I made it clear, never heard this fella before, knew the name, but overall, yeah, I'm very glad we had exposure to this album. I enjoyed the month, I enjoyed all the listens. I'd say one thing for me, it's I found it a bit slow. There was times when I thought if I'm gonna listen to this often or more often, I'd like a few more upbeat tracks, but that's just me personally, right? That would get me going back to it a bit more. But the exposure has been great, and I didn't find myself wanting to skip any of the tunes on this album. I think if he popped up on a playlist, I would not skip them either. Again, voice, we've all touched on that production, it all sounds great. Recommend, I'll give it a four, real solid. I'm not an expert on country music, but seems like this is a guide to know and this is an album to experience. Influence, I'm coming in a bit low just because I don't think I'm gonna suddenly veer right and start listening to a ton of country music or tons of his music, but I think I will listen to another one of his albums and maybe a country album by somebody big in the last decade as well. So I'll give that a 2.5. And overall, it doesn't diminish the quality of the album, but I'll give it a 3.5. Again, the main factor for me just being a personal thing, I could have just used something a bit more upbeat. I just found it a bit slow going, but a really solid album. Clearly, there's a reason I've even heard his name over here in Bangkok. And uh yeah, it was real fun. Thanks for picking this one, Alan. Yeah, I agree with you, Scott Coates.

SPEAKER_04 31:13

I too wish there was a few more upbeat tracks. That would probably help up my scores a little bit. But yeah, in the end, whether my appreciation for Traveler comes from the songs themselves or from years of hearing that Chris Stapleton is one of the best in the business, may not actually matter all that much. Because what matters to me is that when I finally sat down and listened, I found an album full of heart and honesty and unforgettable performances. It was like that quote you just mentioned, Darren. I should have written it down, but can't remember what you said.

SPEAKER_03 31:48

But emotional honesty over polish.

SPEAKER_04 31:51

That, yes, that's exactly it. And sometimes the artists everyone tells you are great are really that great. I was kind of struggling with it at first because I was like, do I like it because I'm supposed to like it because Chris Stapleton's is massive artist, or do I actually like it on the merits of its music? Like I I was having a hard time with my own biases getting in the way, but yeah, it just I guess it just takes a Stampede Breakfast and a song called Parachute to really find out for myself. Recommend, I'm gonna give this a four out of five. I think if you are a country music fan, you've probably already listened to it. But if you're not the biggest country music fan, like you know, some of us are, I do think it's a strong recommendation. I think it's a really good way to dip your toes into the genre. And there's a lot of blues and and soul, or at least soulfulness in this too. So uh well worth a listen. Influence. I'm giving it a three and a half out of five, only because it didn't necessarily personally influence me to listen to more country, but I Spotify's algorithm put on more Chris Stapleton, and I kind of let it autoplay, so that's something. And then overall, I think uh coming in at a an even four out of five, just you know, it's a good album, it's really well produced. There's a time and place for it, I think. But if you're in the mood for something that is sort of down tempo and really earnest in its delivery, and you feel like getting lost in some cool storytelling and some lyrics, this is a good one to put on. So, yeah, with that, that wraps up the July review. Sorry it's coming to you guys a little bit late, but not to worry because Scott Gregory has our next pick. Scott, you want to tell everyone you want to tell everyone what we're gonna be listening to for August?

SPEAKER_00 33:53

Yeah, definitely. I picked Britney Spears' fifth studio album, Blackout, uh, 2007, partially because I believe it represents just this giant gap between public perception uh and actual musical genius. Now, most of us are gonna remember that there was a giant tabloid chaos that was surrounding her in 2007. If not, that's when it was happening. I wanted us to listen to this album because it completely defies that train wreck narrative. Instead of apologetic pop ballads that the media expected from this release, she it was dark, it was aggressive, and it was just this hyper confident club record that I haven't listened to in a really long time, right? And beyond the drama, I'm just throwing this on our radar because it's also widely considered one of the sonic blueprints for 21st century electropop. There was a lot of vocal manipulation on it that and industrial synths textures that mainstream radio wouldn't play before, that they then had to play catch up on because of what she did. So I guess I'm letting my opinion of it already come out a little bit. I might have enjoyed a test run or two on this, but as we've known from past episodes, our opinions tend to differ sometimes. So I'm really curious what you guys think and what you guys in the audience think of this album, both musically and how it affects your perceptions of the artist. Yeah, I can't say I've ever listened to this one.

SPEAKER_03 35:23

Like yeah, I know the one song. What's the title song? Or not the title song Black Out! Oh no, but anyway, it doesn't matter. Gimme More. Gimme More, that's one. Yeah, that's one. I knew that song. Yeah, yeah. All right, well, I guess we're hooked in.

SPEAKER_00 35:42

There you go. I'm either congratulations or sorry, depending on how this lands for me. Let's see.

SPEAKER_01 35:47

I've had one go, it's no rock set.

SPEAKER_00 35:50

True.

SPEAKER_04 35:51

Hard to beat rock set. All right, Alan. Yeah, okay. Thanks, guys. Once again, thank you if you're tuned in to the Sonic Collective and you made it this far. We appreciate you continuing to listen to us. And you heard Scott's pick, it'll be Blackout, the Britney Spears album from 2007. So come back next month and hear what we have to say about the album. And if you feel like joining in the discussion, you can find us on all the usual social media. With that, I have been Alan with Darren Scott Coates and Scott Gregory. Thanks.

SPEAKER_02 36:29

Thanks for listening to The Sonic Collective. If you enjoyed this episode, help us keep great music alive by subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing the show with a fellow music fan. Be sure to explore a growing catalog of album interviews, artist interviews, festival coverage, and music discoveries from across Canada and beyond. Our thanks to the band for letting us use and feature their music. Be sure to check them out. Until next time, keep listening, keep discovering, and keep the conversation going. This is the Sonic Collective signing off.