Reflective Chris Stapleton in His ‘Colbert’ Performance of ‘Drunkard’s Prayer’

On January 29, Chris Stapleton took home the Grammy award for the best country album. Along with it, the Kentucky-born singer also won best country solo performance for “Either Way“, and best country song for “Broken Halos“. Following his big night at the 60th Grammy Awards, Chris Stapleton turned ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ into a church of virtuous reflection. On January 30, he delivered a sorrowful rendition of his ballad “Drunkard’s Prayer”.

What Can There Be in a Drunkard’s Prayer?

Part of his outstanding From A Room: Volume, the track was written by Stapleton with Jameson Clark. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart in December 2017. The song is a confessional ballad that takes its title literally, “I get drunk and talk to God”. He performed his ode to intoxicated thoughts smoothly. In addition to the intense vibe of the song, Stapleton stood on the dimly-lit stage with his steady guitar strums. He crooned the heart-wrenching lines,

“I wish that I could go to church but I’m too ashamed of me,

I hate the fact it takes a bottle to get me on my knees.”

The set-up fills the unspecified space, the darkness making his regretful drinker’s expression of grief all the more captivating.

https://youtu.be/9StYOIBLanM

He performed it on Colbert as it looks on the record. Portraying shame and heartbreak in equal measure, Stapleton directly delivered the song’s wounded message. There is really nothing to hide in this reflective song. Desperate and packed with emotions, his Kentucky croon intensifies into an uphill cry just as the song’s character hits rock bottom. The stripped-down version of the song allowed Stapleton’s voice to carry, and the vulnerability of the song’s lyrics to really shine. However, it is completely contrary to his Saturday Night Live appearance just before the 60th Grammy Awards. It featured wild guitar duels with fellow country renegade, Sturgill Simpson on ‘Midnight Train to Memphis‘ and ‘Hard Livin‘.

Update – Stapleton will hit the road this summer on the 2018 All-American Road Show Tour with Marty Stuart and Brent Cobb. The 36-date tour will start on June 16 in Brandon, Mississippi. They will make stops in Seattle, Denver, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and more. Eventually, they will wrap up on November 3 in Charlottesville, Virginia.