The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Alyssa Tyler editor in chief
Chris Stapleton, a Grammy awarded artist released his fifth studio album, ‘Higher’ in November of 2023. After two songs released as early singles, all fans of Stapleton were
What am I Gonna Do’ provides a catchy, easy to listen to beat with some depressing lyrics. Stapleton quotes in one of the bridges, “Been drinkin’ everything on that shelf, feels like I’m killin’ myself, you’re gone, and it hurts like hell, wishin’ I was anyone else.” I was surprised to see this as the opening track for this long-awaited album. However, even with the depressing lyrics, it is still a fun song to listen to.
‘South Dakota’ opens with Stapletons iconic intro. With a strong drumbeat, guitar riffs, and his simple lyrics, this song is an easy favorite.
‘Trust’ proves again that Stapleton can write a fantastic love song. With the chorus, “If you trust in true love and you trust in time, if you trust in forever, trust this heart of mine, we could lose ourselves, like lovers do, if you trust in me like I trust in you.”
Weight Of Your World is perfect for anyone in a happy relationship. As a wedding photographer I’m preparing myself to hear this song endlessly during the ceremony and reception. It’s romantic, thoughtful, and ‘lovey-dovey.’
‘It Takes A Woman’ easily enters in the top three for my personal favorites. I attended Chris Stapletons concert in the Summer of 2023 and the love he has for his wife is palpable even in the nosebleeds. So, with the lyrics “You are my comfort, whenever I’m troubled, When I’m alone, you are my friend, you make me high, and keep my feet on the ground, whatever I need, you give it to me, it takes a woman.” Any listener can easily tell who this song was directed towards.
‘The Fire’ grabbed my attention in a way that the other songs had not. This song has an entirely different feel to the other songs on the album, and, with the rest of Stapleton’s discography. This song is well done, and I do enjoy it, but I can’t place it in the top five for reasons I haven’t decided on yet.
‘Think I’m In Love With You’ is easily my favorite song of this album, however there is a tie for my top track, but I will continue with that later. This song has a great beat, melody and fantastic lyrics. “Oh, you are the power over me, you are the truth that I believe, you are my life, you are my world, you are the air I’m breathing girl, you are the light I want to see, you’re all of everything to me, You are the reasons that I am.” The overall easiness of the song with the catchy lyrics makes this a definite song on my future wedding playlist.
‘Loving you on my mind’ is the second track tied for first. One of the first reasons why I started to listen to Stapleton was due to his ability to write incredible love songs. With the lyrics, “I walk around and dream about you, every single minute of every single day, It’s all I can do to make it through until night, I can hardly wait, girl, the kind of loving you put on me, ain’t no way there’s a better kind, baby, just tell me when you want me, always got a lot of loving you on my mind.” This song, with many more of Stapleton’s will also be on my wedding playlist.
‘White Horse’ was the first song on this album to be released as the lead single, and for good reason. Stapleton won the Grammy award, ‘Best Country Solo Performance and Country Song’ for 2023. Personally, I listen to Stapleton for his love songs, but this song is still a top favorite. The beat, melody, and overall vibe of the song make it easy to listen to and enjoy.
‘Higher’ is another solid song, what mainly impressed me with this was the high-pitched vocals throughout the song.
‘The Bottom’ is another seemingly upbeat song that features somewhat dark lyrics. “So, I don’t have a problem if I don’t see the bottom” Even with the slightly depressing lyrics, this song is still very fun to listen to.
‘The Day I Die’ is slower compared to the last few songs and features more romantic lyrics. “When there’s a day that I can live without you, baby, it’ll be the day I die.” Even with the romantic lyrics, there are a few bridges that give the illusion that someone has passed away or is no longer in Stapleton’s life.
‘Crosswind’ is upbeat, fun, and easy in my top five favorites. Personally, the lyrics of this song did not stick out to me. However, the beat and melody make it fun, personable, and easy to put on for anyone.
‘Weight of Your World’ shows that when deciding the order of his albums, Stapleton knows how to mix up the flows. This song is slower with more romantic lyrics. Overall, this song didn’t stand out to me, but I am prepared to hear this at every wedding I attend for the next 20 years.
‘Mountains Of My Mind’ closes out the album and personally, I think another song would have been a stronger finisher. However, I still won’t skip the song when it comes on.
Overall, this album is an all-time favorite of mine, and I rate it 5/5.