Chief, the third studio album by country singer Eric Church, was released on July 26th, 2011. Released through EMI Nashville, Eric and his team had seen massive success through Chief. Church had felt that the genre had fallen off and opted for a more unique sound to revitalize the genre. Chief is a rock, country, and party 11 song mashup that had found instant success. Two of the five singles released, “Drink in My Hand” and “Springsteen,” both went number one on the charts. Two other singles, “Creepin’” and “Like Jesus Does,” both went top ten on the charts. While “Homeboy,” the final single, reached the top 20. Even though this was Church’s third album, it marked the beginning of his true stardom, as his career took off due to this project.
Production
Production is the biggest highlight of Chief. From track one to track eleven, it seems like each song brings its own unique value to the album. “Creepin’” features a very mellow opening, which builds up to a climatic chorus, which is a very similar structure to all the tracks. Eric obviously features an acoustic guitar, however, he brings in an electric guitar from time to time, as well as drums. Not only is the country feel prominent on this project, but Church also constructs many rock-like sounds here. Often times, the instrumentation, more specifically the build up and mellow parts, create a tone that is relevant to the intentions of the track. The production was the headline of this project and was constructed perfectly to meet what Church envisioned.
Vocal Performance
Eric’s vocals are certainly on high alert on this project. There are many songs where Eric’s simple, yet expert vocals are on full effect and carry the tracks. Listening to “Springsteen,” while the production is good, Church’s vocals are top tier there. He has a very basic country vocal pattern and style, however, brings his own takes to it. Similar to “Springsteen,” on “Like Jesus Does,” Eric sings more like a pop singer than a country singer, and he does it very well. It is these breaks in the common country style of the rest of the tracks that brings an easier listening experience. All in all, Eric’s versatility on this project elevates the production to the next level, as he blends near perfectly with the intentions and instrumentation of the tracks.
Meaning
Chief follows much of the same storylines: a man dealing with a breakup. Songs like “Hungover & Hard Up” and “Creepin’” feature these stories. While these are typical of country albums, Eric does a wonderful job building on these stories through the emotion brought on by the instrumentation or his clever lyricism. He also talks about humble topics. For example, on “Homeboy,” Eric talks about his desire to quit being stubborn and chasing material things. A common theme throughout the whole project, and especially on this song, he talks about wanting the little things in life. The most impactful meaning comes on “Like Jesus Does.” It’s a whole song expressing his thankfulness and love to his wife, Katherine. Similar meaning is shown on “Springsteen,” talking about his memories of a woman in his life.
Accolades
Within the first week of its release, Chief debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. It was also number one on the Top Country Albums chart. The project was released in July, and by the next year, Chief had already pushed many boundaries. By June 2012, Chief was certified platinum, selling over 3,000,000 copies. In 2011, it was nominated for Best Country Album at the 54th Grammy Awards. Although it did not win this category, Eric won Album of the Year at the CMA Awards and ACM Awards. In 2020, Chief got named as the 419th Greatest album of all time by the Rolling Stone. It is safe to say that Eric Church was met with much commercial success with Chief.
Conclusion
Chief was not only a commercially successful album, but it was also a very successful album. Seen as one of the best country albums of all time, Eric Church masterfully created an album that completed his intentions: revitalize the genre. The production was masterfully done, emphasizing many different aspects of each track, diversifying the project. Eric also provided some of the best country vocals that are out there here.
Song Rankings
- “Springsteen”
- “Drink In My Hand”
- “Creepin’”
- “Like Jesus Does”
- “I’m Gettin’ Stoned”
- “Jack Daniels”
- “Homeboy”
- “Country Music Jesus”
- “Over When It’s Over”
- “Keep On”
- “Hungover & Hard Up”
Weakest Track
The weakest track is “Hungover & Hard Up.” The instrumentation on this track is arguably the worst on Chief, however, the song still sounds good. Eric took a different approach on the structure, featuring a single line chorus, which didn’t sit right with me. The song seemed directionless, and the meaning was basic.
Strongest Track
One of the best country songs in recent history, “Springsteen,” takes the strongest track title. It is the perfect embodiment of what Eric intended for the project: originality while sticking to the genre’s roots and revitalization. The piano inclusion is something not explored elsewhere, and the whole instrumental is wonderfully constructed. Eric’s vocals take high levels here and carry exactly his intentions further. The structure of the song, with production, is icing on the cake. Between the references to classic Bruce Springsteen albums to the bridge, outro, and refrain, the attention to detail here was outstanding.
Final Notes
As always, take the reviews as opinion pieces. Not everyone will share the same views. As for these opinions, leave them below to share your thoughts. We also suggest subscribing to our emails to keep up to date with posts. To do so, go under the tab “Contact” and fill out the contact form. This will allow you to receive weekly emails of recaps. Finally, go give Chief a listen for yourself.