Chris Stapleton Releases New Studio Album, ‘Starting Over’, Performs Title Track On ‘Kimmel’ [Listen/Watch] Chris Stapleton has released his fourth studio album this week, titled Starting Over. The country music star and five-time Grammy Award-winner released the album via Mercury Records Nashville.

Produced by fellow Grammy Award-winner Dave Cobb, Stapleton recorded Starting Over at the legendary RCA Studio A in Nashville, TN, with additional work done at Muscle Shoals Sound and Compass Sound Studio.

The album sees musical contributions from Cobb as well, in addition to Stapleton’s wife Morgane (vocals/tambourine), J.T. Cure (bass), and Derek Mixon (drums). Additionally, Starting Over features special guests Mike Campbell (guitar), Benmont Tench (Hammond B3 organ), Paul Franklin (pedal steel), and the All Voices Choir.

Throughout the album’s 14 tracks, Stapleton examines life’s simplest joys and most serious struggles. The title track includes a references to both of these concepts, highlighting Stapleton’s songwriting prowess and vocal talent.

Lines like “This might not be an easy time/There’s rivers to cross and hills to climb/Some days we might fall apart/And some nights might feel cold and dark” feel relevant to the times we are all facing and give insight into some of his deepest struggles.

Conversely, in the same song, Stapleton sings “It don’t matter to me/Wherever we are is where I wanna be,” indicating his appreciations for the joys of companionship.

Stapleton appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a performance of “Starting Over” this week.

Credits: Kel Kawas - https://liveforlivemusic.com/

Alice Cooper has announced that his next studio album, Detroit Stories, will be released on February 26, 2021.

The first single from the album, titled "Rock 'n' Roll," was released on Friday, November 13.

Named for the city that launched the original Alice Cooper group on the road to success, Detroit Stories follows last year's Breadcrumbs EP as a modern-day homage to the "toughest and craziest Rock n Roll scene here ever was."

Detroit Stories will be available on CD, CD+DVD Digipak, CD Box Set (including CD, Blu-ray, T-shirt, face mask, torch light and 3 stickers), and 2LP Gatefold on EARMUSIC.

The DVD and Blu-ray will show the live performance A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris for the first time on video.

"Detroit was the birthplace of angry hard rock," Cooper said. "After not fitting in anywhere in the US (musically or image wise) Detroit was the only place that recognized the Alice Cooper guitar driven, hard rock sound and our crazy stage show."

He added, "Detroit was a haven for the outcasts. And when they found out I was born in East Detroit… we were home."

By RTTNews Staff Writer

Tower Records, the famous music retailer that closed its doors back in 2006 when it filed for bankruptcy and liquidation, announced on Friday that it has returned as an online service. The new Tower Records online store includes the return of its Tower Pulse! rag and a merch shop as well as a ton of music for sale in vinyl, CD, and cassette formats.

As Yahoo! Entertainment points out, “Tower Records has been teasing its comeback for quite some time — joining social media in 2018 — and originally planned to unveil its new look in March during SXSW but decided to delay when the festival was canceled due to the coronavirus.” The March 6th cancellation of SXSW marked the first domino to fall in a month that would see the live event industry grind to an indefinite halt.

While the live side of the music industry remains muzzled by the pandemic, physical album sales—vinyl, in particular—are rising. According to a report in September by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), vinyl record sales overtook CD sales in the U.S. for the first time since the 1980s, increasing by 3.6% between the first half of 2019 to the first half of 2020.

“[The news] has been met with tremendous success, feedback,” said Tower Records CEO Danny Zeijdel in a statement. “A lot of people are so happy taking pictures of when they receive an order from Tower Records, posting it on Instagram.”

Tower Records founder Russ Solomon, who died 2018 at the age of 92, grew the company from the back of a Sacramento drugstore to, at its peak, a billion-dollar CD empire with over 200 brick-and-mortar stores around the world. The store chain was known for its exhaustive selection, in-the-know staff, and famous clientele like Prince and Elton John. Colin Hanks in 2015 paid tribute to the chain’s legacy with the documentary, All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records.

Credits: Andrew O'Brien - https://liveforlivemusic.com/

Written for his late sister, it’s the first single and title song of his new album, due in 2021. - We all need someone to call. Especially in these times of isolation and loss when we’re in the perpetual 3 am of the soul. Knowing there’s someone who will answer, even during the darkest times, sustains us.

For singer-songwriter Paul Thorn, that person was his sister Deborah, who died in 2018. She was the one always there for him, especially when he was on tour and in those long, lonely hours after a show when it seemed the whole world was asleep. A night owl, she could be depended on to be there.

“I could call her, and she’d always be awake,” Thorn said.

Now after two years without her, he’s returned with his first music in a long time, a song for Deborah; it’s both the first single and title song of his new album, “Never Too Late To Call.” The album will be released in 2021. We are happy to premiere the video today of his song for his sister.

“[Deborah] wasn’t a professional musician,” he said. “But she had all the musical talent that I was born with. She used to come to my shows and get onstage and sing!”

A native of Kenosha, Wisconsin, Paul grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi, where he’s become a champion for that state and its mythic culture. Before becoming a professional songwriter, he worked in two professions almost as exciting and risky as songwriting: skydiving and prizefighting. He even fought Roberto Duran (he didn’t win).

When profiled for this magazine in 2014, we asked him if there were any similarities between songwriting and boxing. His answer was immediate, informed and inspired.

“Songwriting is like boxing,” he said, “because not everyone who does it can be great at it. There are only a few Mike Tysons or Kris Kristofferson’s out there who are born with the gift. The rest write mediocre modern country music million sellers or fight in local tough man contests.”

The single and album were produced by Matt Ross-Spang, who built them on the demos Thorn made.

“The songs are just real stripped down and organic sounding,” Thorn said. “I have a unique sound that happens when I sing and accompany myself on guitar and I guess I captured it.”

CREDITS - PAUL ZOLLO – American Songwriter