Chris Stapleton Turns Up the Guitars on the Heart-Racing ‘Arkansas’

Chris Stapleton debuted the hard-charging “Arkansas” last year on his All-American Road Show Tour, often performing the song live with guests Brothers Osborne. On Friday, Stapleton released the studio version of the track, written with Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell. It’ll appear on Stapleton’s upcoming album Starting Over.

Recorded with his core band of drummer Derek Mixon, bassist J.T. Cure, and producer Dave Cobb, the LP version of “Arkansas” also includes Campbell on guitar and Benmont Tench on piano. Lyrically, it’s a rollicking travelogue, with Stapleton documenting a road trip across the titular state: he tears through the Ozarks and Fayetteville, stops in Little Rock for barbecue, and finally arrives in West Memphis with the police on his tail.

“Arkansas” is the third song released from Starting Over, following the title track and the Radiohead vibes of “Cold.” Stapleton recorded the new album, out November 13th, at Nashville’s RCA Studio A, reuniting once again with Cobb. He’s planning to tour behind the record in 2021, taking his All-American Road Show Tour across the country and playing select shows with Willie Nelson and George Strait.