Chris Stapleton – Higher

STAPLETON, CHRIS , HIGHER is the fifth studio album from one of contemporary country music’s most decorated artists, pressed here on 2LP 180-gram vinyl as an opaque bone color indie store exclusive through Mercury Nashville (catalog: MN 3734501).

Chris Stapleton: The Awards Are Just the Start

Chris Stapleton has built a catalogue of work that speaks louder than any trophy shelf, but the shelf is worth noting. Eight Grammy Awards, 14 CMA Awards, 10 ACM Awards including the current Entertainer of the Year title, and the ACM’s Artist-Songwriter of the Decade designation. Rolling Stone placed him at number 170 on their 200 Greatest Singers of All Time list in 2023. These are not participation ribbons. Stapleton earned his standing through a voice and a songwriting sensibility that consistently cuts through the noise of a crowded genre, and a live reputation that has made him one of the most in-demand performers in American roots music.

What STAPLETON, CHRIS , HIGHER Brings to the Table

Higher marks Stapleton’s fifth studio album and arrives with 14 tracks, including the lead single “White Horse.” As with his previous records, the album sits at the intersection of country, soul, and blues-inflected rock, drawing from a deep well of American musical tradition without feeling beholden to any single corner of it. Fourteen songs is a substantial statement from an artist who rarely pads a record. Each cut earns its place. This is the kind of album that rewards the full sit-down listen that vinyl naturally encourages.

The Pressing: Indie Exclusive, Bone Vinyl, 180 Gram

This version is an indie store exclusive configuration not available through major retail chains. The double LP is pressed on opaque bone colored vinyl at 180 grams, giving you both a visual distinction and the added weight and density that serious collectors look for in a pressing. The 2LP format means the audio is spread across four sides rather than compressed onto two, which generally translates to wider grooves, lower distortion, and better channel separation, particularly in the low end. If you are a Stapleton collector building a complete run of his studio work, this is the pressing to own. The bone vinyl alone sets it apart from standard black pressings of the same record, and indie exclusives in this configuration have a way of becoming harder to find once the initial run clears.