Sturgill Simpson Draws from Multiple Genres and His Personal Story for a Never-Before-Heard Sound and Deeply Emotional Journey on His Latest Album

Sturgill Simpson draws from multiple genres and his personal story for a never-before-heard sound and deeply emotional journey on his latest album
Sturgill Simpson has been ardently challenging the pop-country movement since his first release of High Top Mountain in 2013, but his latest album, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, challenges the norms of more genres than just country.

Just in case you thought that pop-bent piano couldn’t be combined with an old-fashioned, soul-filled Southern singer, or that symphonic strings wouldn’t sound right with a steel guitar, Sturgill Simpson is here to prove you wrong. Between the brass-heavy riffs of “Keep It Between the Lines” and the classic rock sound of “Brace for Impact (Live a Little),” this album draws influence from nearly every kind of music you could think of.

Anchoring and connecting all the sounds is Simpson’s classic voice. His voice has a bit of a Randy Travis feel throughout, and he showcases an impressive range on “Call to Arms,” but his vocal talent isn’t the only thing he has going for him. He also produced his entire album, and wrote all of the songs himself, with the exception of the cover of Nirvana’s “In Bloom.”

According to his website, Simpson wrote this album as a letter to his wife and young son. After his son was born, he “really questioned whether I wanted to spend however many more years on this bus, not being there and seeing all that was happening,” he said. “I had to figure out a way to put that into music, so I decided to write the whole record from the perspective of a sailor going to sea and not knowing if he’s ever coming home” 

From the emotion and soul he’s poured into every song to the unique instruments and sounds he uses on A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, Sturgill Simpson’s album will have you nodding along and wondering why no one ever thought to combine such diverse sounds before. Find the album on Spotify here, or visit Sturgill Simpson’s website here.

- Allie Windom
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Watch the music video for “Brace for Impact (Live a Little)”: