From a Room, Vol. 2

Vol. 2 was also able to capitalize on some of the weaknesses of Vol. 1. Where "Death Row" felt like a under-developed missed opportunity for an outlaw prison song, "Midnight Train to Memphis", which he formerly recorded with the Steeldrivers, comes in with rumbling ferocity as the doubled guitar/bass solos elevate the song to an instant blues-rock classic and one of Stapleton's most exciting tracks to date.

It’s a short, casual release, so much so that it’s easy to miss just how expertly crafted these songs are.

It's a collection of moments, just like From a Room, Vol. 1, but that's the charm of From a Room, Vol. 2. Stapleton isn't crafting a major statement; he's knocking out a bunch of songs that work on their own terms--and when the two records are combined, it's clear he's the lifer he intends to be.

Again, the songs feel like unearthed classics.

Vol. 2 leavens its heavier moments with songs that celebrate the simple joys of love and marriage and family, without lapsing into sentimentality.

There was much more to Stapleton than the Music Row standards he'd been cranking out for others, and Vol. 2 further confirms this suspicion. Under his own name, and own steam, Stapleton cleaves closer to the outlaw ethos of Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr and Johnny Paycheck. [Feb 2018, p.32]

If anything, the album flows together even better than Volume 1, where the disparity between light-heartedness and heavier themes was an occasional distraction.