“Delights at the threshold of polished folk-pop and rustic old folk; And he seems bound to make converts on both sides of that divide.” – Rolling Stone
For the better part of a decade, Christopher Paul Stelling had been a feverish and itinerant troubadour, spilling guts and blood and sweat in soul-scraping solo sets. He’d lived up the lifestyle, too, hydrating for the stage with booze. By the end of 2017, he’d gone sober after recognizing that chunks of his life had disappeared. Since his debut album, Songs of Praise and Scorn, which garnered critical acclaim for its raw, authentic approach to Americana and folk music. Stelling’s subsequent albums further established him as a significant voice in contemporary folk, praised for their lyrical depth and masterful musicianship.
Stelling’s latest project, Forgiving It All, was recorded alone in his grandmother’s modest white ranch house in Daytona Beach after her passing. It’s his wisest, most intimate, and most settled record yet, and his first self-released LP in eight years, which feels like a final tribute to her and to everything he and we have lost or gained.
“Like a campfire, he is mesmerizing, slightly dangerous and always a good time.” – NBC New York.