Craig Campbell

On his debut album, Craig Campbell celebrates working class heroes and sympathizes with barroom zeroes. Produced by Keith Stegall, Craig Cambpell copies the understated manner of Stegall’s protege and Campbell’s idol Alan Jackson. Laidback musings on rural living—especially “Makes You Wanna Sang” and “All Night to Get There”—would sound right at home on Jackson’s next project.

This modest yet auspicious debut is sure to appeal to anyone who believes that country music has become the new pop and is none too happy about it. An unapologetic heir to the buttoned-down neo-traditionalism of Alan Jackson and George Strait, Craig Campbell sings in a rich, unhurried baritone and favors gimmick-free arrangements that feature swinging twin fiddles and careening steel guitar. None of which is surprising, given that his album’s producer, Keith Stegall, was the force behind Jackson’s biggest hits and wrote the chart-topping single “I Hate Everything” for Strait.

A Georgia native, Craig Campbell first drew attention by drawing sell-out crowds in Nashville's bustling downtown honky-tonk clubs. Producer Keith Stegall, who has guided the recordings of Alan Jackson and the Zac Brown Band, convinced Campbell to sign with his new independent label, Bigger Picture Records—a gamble for a genre dominated by major labels.