Album Review – Ben Chapman’s “Feet On Fire”

Country Soul (#577), Southern Rock (#562), and Soul-Inspired Americana (#570.5) on the Country DDS.

Sometimes you just have to shirk all dietary restrictions, calorie counting, and concern for acid reflux a few hours down the road, and gluttonously shove your face straight into a plate of greasy, gooey, deep fried Southern comfort food for the sake of the mood-altering bliss, and fat ‘n sassy satisfaction it results in. It’s not a completely dissimilar sensation to cue up Ben Chapman’s new album Feet On Fire, and hoggishly indulge in the thick, buttery, soulful moments contained within. But don’t worry, these calories aren’t empty, and you won’t regret it next time you step on a scale.

Ben Chapman is no new kid on the block, and has been skirting along the periphery of Saving Country Music’s coverage boundaries for quite some time now. Maybe ol’ SCM is even in arrears for just now broaching a discussion about his music. But to be honest, his version of soulful blue-eyed roots music has always been something respected, but not especially focused upon here. In the post Chris Stapleton country world, there’s just been quite a bit of this stuff, and sometimes it’s felt like a distraction from more country-based roots music.

Just like his previous record, Ben Chapman’s Feet On Fire is produced by Anderson East, who is another artist whose career has sketched a “country-gone-soul” arc. But as opposed to attempting to rely primarily on Southern soul pastiche, Feet On Fire feels like an especially inspired and more original work from Mr. Chapman. It still has all those vintage vibes you want from a throwback record. But it feels more personal, more intentional, and more in line with the best works from artists like fellow Georgian Brent Cobb, or maybe Marcus King.

It was specifically the 6 minute, 45 second title track that showed off a side of Ben Chapman we hadn’t heard before, burrowing a little bit deeper than the surface to find some original artistry. It was the songwriting of the beautiful and heartfelt “Baby Blue” about becoming a father that gives this album an elevated level of emotion. And even if it might be as full of empty calories as a Cracker Barrel chicken fried steak, “Lucy” is just too damn fun and funky to pass up.

Some artists run out of their best words after their first records. For some, it takes a level of maturity for them to find their best stuff. Marrying fellow performer and songwriter Meg McCree who co-writes numerous songs for the record, and welcoming in their first child really helped create inspired, lived-in moments to capture for the album, along with an immediacy to make the music thing work and pay off to support a growing family.

The music doesn’t just rely on nostalgic little melodic callbacks to great songs of the past to find its appeal, it yearns to how to put an original stamp on these foundational influences. Ben Chapman’s voice has never been an impediment to his appeal in the way it evokes that Stax-era soulfulness. But something about the way it’s rendered on this album and avoids overt filtering to try and sound more “vintage” makes it feel more like Ben Chapman’s own than an attempt at imitation.

With so many neotraditional country albums and artists these days flooding Friday release cycles with slightly different takes on Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon,” it’s okay to venture a little further afield to find something that tickles a few different taste buds. It’s all still Southern and soulful, with Feet On Fire feeling more like a true country soul and Southern Rock record than Ben Chapman has released before. More importantly though, it’s all cooked with that little dollop of love that makes comfort food so fulfilling.

8.1/10

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Purchase/Stream Feet on Fire