On his new album, The Great Escape, Chris returns to the electric guitar sounds and melodic lyricism that informed his classic '80s solo records It's Alright, Fireworks, and 2004's Travels in the South—but with a twist!
This time out, alongside adroit pedal-steel aces Eric Heywood (Jayhawks, Pretenders, Alejandro Escovedo) and Allyn Love, Mipso's Libby Rodenbough, and Chatham County Line's John Teer and Dave Wilson, he's found a distinctive spin on the '70s Southern California country-rock flavors of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Soaring harmonies from Brett Harris (Big Star's Third concerts), Peter Holsapple (The dB's), and Matt McMichaels (Mayflies USA) fill out the picture on many tracks. And there's an A-team of Caitlin Cary (harmonies), Don Dixon (acoustic bass), Will Rigby (drums), and Rodenbough (fiddle and background vocals) on "(A Prisoner of This) Hopeless Love."
Other highlights include a classic-country codependency ode, "Here's How We Start Again," with John Teer's fiddle once again and with bandmate Dave Wilson's harmonies. About the Byrds-flavored "I Will Try," Stamey reports: "There are a lot of songs for weddings that make extravagant, unlikely pledges of everlasting love and perfect bliss; I wanted to write a wedding song that spoke to more the way life is."
The genesis of the record came from a 2017 tour with Alejandro Escovedo, in which Stamey was musical director and Heywood the pedal steel player. "I marveled every night at how Eric magically shaped the songs; his instincts were just spot-on. After the tour, I ended up writing a number of tunes with steel in mind, and was fortunate enough to have him add some of his alchemy to these." Chris continued down this slippery path with NC's Allyn Love, another marvelous player who "really nailed the energy of the title track, then switched gears for the sensitive dobro textures on 'Dear Friend.'"
