Country Squire

For the vehicle, see Ford Country Squire.

Country Squire
Studio album by Tyler Childers
Released	August 2, 2019 (2019-08-02)
Studio	Butcher Shoppe (Nashville, Tennessee) [1]
Genre	Honky-tonk country neotraditional country
Length	35:10
Label	Hickman Holler Records RCA
Producer	Sturgill Simpson David R. Ferguson [2]
Tyler Childers chronology
Purgatory (2017) Country Squire (2019) Long Violent History (2020)
Singles from Country Squire
"House Fire" Released: May 16, 2019 "All Your'n" Released: June 21, 2019

Country Squire is the third studio album and major label debut by American country musician Tyler Childers. Recorded at the Butcher Shoppe in Nashville, the album was produced by Sturgill Simpson and was released on August 2, 2019, jointly through Childers' own independent label Hickman Holler Records and major label RCA. ^[3]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	85/100 [4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Paste	[6]
Pitchfork	7.8/10 [7]

The album received a Metacritic rating of 85 based on six reviews, indicating universal acclaim. ^[4]

Commercial performance

Country Squire debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums and American/Folk Albums, his first on No. 1 on these charts. It sold 24,000 in traditional albums, 32,000 in equivalent album units in the first week. ^[8] As of March 2020, the album has sold 65,400 copies in the United States. ^[9]

Background

Following the critical success of his breakthrough 2017 album Purgatory, Childers signed an exclusive licensing deal with major label RCA Records and announced his follow up album, named Country Squire, on May 16, 2019. On the same day, the music video for "House Fire" was released. ^[10]

As part of his deal with RCA, Childers would own the copyright through his own Hickman Holler Records and have creative control. Additionally, country singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson was re-recruited to produce Country Squire. ^[10]

Musical style and composition

Country Squire has been described as a honky-tonk, ^{[11] [12] [7]} country, ^{[12] [13]} and neotraditional country album, ^[6] that is compared to the styles of its predecessor, Purgatory. ^{[6] [7] [12]}

Critical reception

Country Squire was met with immediate critical acclaim. Writing for Pitchfork Magazine, Stephen Deusner remarks that "[Childers] has a remarkable facility with telling details, which pepper Country Squire as vividly they did his 2017 breakout Purgatory." ^[14]

Accolades

The penultimate track of the album, "All Your'n", was nominated for Best Solo Country Performance at the 2019 Grammy Awards, but lost out to Willie Nelson and his song "Ride Me Back Home". ^{[15] [16]}

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tyler Childers

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Country Squire"	3:21
2.	"Bus Route"	3:07
3.	"Creeker"	5:01
4.	"Gemini"	2:32
5.	"House Fire"	3:52
6.	"Ever Lovin' Hand"	4:38
7.	"Peace of Mind"	4:42
8.	"All Your'n"	3:38
9.	"Matthew"	4:13
Total length:		35:04

Personnel

From Country Squire liner notes. ^[17]

Musicians

• Tyler Childers - vocals (all tracks), acoustic guitar (all tracks), hand claps (8)
• Stuart Duncan - fiddle (all tracks), mandolin (2, 4, 7, 9), banjo (5, 9), hand claps (8)
• Miles Miller - drums (all tracks except 9), background vocals (all tracks except 9), washboard (4), hand claps (8)
• Russ Pahl - electric guitar (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8), pedal steel guitar (1, 3, 7, 8), baritone guitar (1, 4), Dobro (2, 7), classical guitar (7), acoustic guitar (8, 9), Jew's harp (2), mandolin (5), hand claps (8)
• David Roe - bass guitar (all tracks), hand claps (8)
• Mike Rojas - piano (1, 3, 4, 6), accordion (2), Hammond B-3 organ (3, 5, 6), clavinet (4), synthesizer (5), Wurlitzer electric piano (7)
• Sturgill Simpson - background vocals (2), hand claps (8)
• Bobby Wood - Wurlitzer electric piano (3, 8), piano (7, 8), Hammond B-3 organ (8), harmonium (9)

Technical

• Daniel Bacigalupi - assistant
• David R. Ferguson - producer, engineer, mixing
• Pete Lyman - mastering
• Señora May - photography
• Colonel Tony Moore - illustration
• Sturgill Simpson - producer
• Sean Sullivan - engineer
• Jimbo Valentine - album layout

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA) [18]	44
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [19]	86
Scottish Albums (OCC) [20]	40
UK Country Albums (OCC) [21]	1
US Billboard 200 [22]	12
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [23]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2019)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [24]	64

Chart (2023)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [25]	67

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [26]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Bloom, Madison (May 16, 2019). "Tyler Childers Announces New Album Produced by Sturgill Simpson". Pitchfork . Retrieved August 2, 2019.
2. Liptak, Carena (July 29, 2019). "Everything We Know About Tyler Childers' 'Country Squire' Album". The Boot . Retrieved August 2, 2019.
3. Moss, Marissa (May 16, 2019). "Tyler Childers Previews New Album 'Country Squire' With Yearning 'House Fire'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved August 2, 2019.
4. "Country Squire by Tyler Childers". Metacritic.
5. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Tyler Childers: Country Squire". AllMusic .
6. Ellen Johnson (August 13, 2019). "Tyler Childers: Country Squire Review". Paste.
7. Stephen M. Deusner (August 5, 2019). "Tyler Childers: Country Squire Album Review". Pitchfork .
8. Asker, Jim (August 13, 2019). "Tyler Childers Earns First Top Country Albums No. 1 With 'Country Squire'". Billboard.
9. Bjorke, Matt (March 10, 2020). "Top 10 Country Albums Pure Sales Chart: March 9, 2020". RoughStock. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
10. "Tyler Childers Signs to RCA, to Release New Album "Country Squire"". Saving Country Music. May 16, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
11. Canter, Soda (January 29, 2023). "Tyler Childers - Country Squire". Holler.{{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
12. Staff (August 10, 2019). "Review: Tyler Childers - Country Squire". SputnikMusic. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
13. "Tyler Childers Delivers Everything You Want on "Country Squire"". Saving Country Music. August 2, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
14. "Tyler Childers: Country Squire". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
15. "Tyler Childers". GRAMMY.com. 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
16. "62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards". GRAMMY.com. 2020-05-19. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
17. Country Squire (CD insert). Tyler Childers. Hickman Holler/RCA. 2019. 19075-96034-2.
18. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
19. "Tyler Childers Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
20. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
21. "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
22. "Tyler Childers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
23. "Tyler Childers Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
24. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
25. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard . Retrieved November 22, 2023.
26. "American album certifications – Tyler Childers – Country Squire". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved January 24, 2023.