| Backslider | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 29, 2021 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 53:14 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Oscar Charles | |||
| Elvie Shane chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Backslider | ||||
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Backslider is the debut studio album by American country music singer Elvie Shane. It was released through Wheelhouse on October 29, 2021, for digital download/streaming, and made available on CD on February 11, 2022. [1] It includes the singles "My Boy" and "County Roads".
Shane co-wrote all of the album's 15 tracks, with the exception of "Kickin' Stones", which is a spoken word interlude by The Fletch. [2] It was preceded by the release of the EP County Roads, which featured six of the album's tracks. [3] Tenille Townes is featured on "Nothin' Lasts Forever", and Shane's mother guests on the closing track, "Miles", which he wrote as a tribute to his father, inspired by his career as a truck driver. [4] Oscar Charles produced the album. [4]
The album title was inspired by a conversation Shane had with a preacher friend of his who referred to him as a "backslider". He favorably embraced the terminology as just being "human", saying: "Love found, love lost. Mistakes made in the recklessness of youth, lessons learned from mistakes made". [5] A country music record, Backslider draws additional inspiration from southern rock, R&B, and gospel genres. [4] Topically, the album is described as "[weaving] between blessings and contradictions" and displaying "a messy honesty" inspired in equal parts by Shane's rebellious upbringing and his Christian faith. [6] Shane informally defined Backslider as having three distinct chapters inspired by his life: "The Dazed and Confused Year" (inspired by his reckless youth), "The Mandy Years" (dedicated to his wife and turning his life around), and "The Nashville Years" (as a tribute to his appreciation for country music). [6] [4]
The first song written for the record was "My Boy", which went viral on social media in 2018, and led to Shane eventually signing a record deal with BBR Music Group in 2019. [4] [7] It was released as Shane's debut single to country radio on September 21, 2020. [8] It became a number one hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart on the week dated October 23, 2021, [9] and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. [10] "Country Roads" was released as the album's second single on February 7, 2022, and it debuted (and peaked) at number 60 on the Country Airplay chart. [11]
Rolling Stone Australia named Backslider number 23 on their list of the 25 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2021. [12] Lee Zimmerman of Holler gave the album a 7.5/10 ranking, calling it "a tenacious debut that paints a vivid picture of life in rural America and the blue-collar attitudes that define so many of those that reside within those realms". [13]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Will Run" |
| 3:25 |
| 2. | "Love, Cold Beer, Cheap Smoke" |
| 3:19 |
| 3. | "Sundays in the South" |
| 3:15 |
| 4. | "Sundress" |
| 3:30 |
| 5. | "County Roads" |
| 3:11 |
| 6. | "Rocket Science" |
| 4:25 |
| 7. | "My Kinda Trouble" |
| 2:37 |
| 8. | "Kickin' Stones" (featuring The Fletch) |
| 1:09 |
| 9. | "Saturday Night Me" |
| 4:02 |
| 10. | "My Boy" |
| 3:23 |
| 11. | "Heartbreaks & Headaches" |
| 3:24 |
| 12. | "Nothin' Lasts Forever" (featuring Tenille Townes) |
| 3:09 |
| 13. | "Keep On Strummin'" |
| 3:13 |
| 14. | "My Mississippi" |
| 4:01 |
| 15. | "Miles" (featuring Elvie Shane's Mama) |
| 7:05 |
| Total length: | 53:14 | ||