Asheville-based singer-songwriter and guitar virtuoso Christopher Paul Stelling is preparing to release his fifth album, Best of Luck, on February 7th via ANTI- Records. Today we are excited to share the gorgeous third single from the upcoming album, “Lucky Stars”.
While he may call Asheville home, Christopher Paul Stelling has done things his own way, living all over the US (NYC, Boston, Seattle, Colorado, etc.) while touring constantly over the last 10+ years. Stelling never stops, relying on himself to become an accomplished songwriter known for his finger picking stylings, soulful vocals and passionate delivery.
When friend and mentor Ben Harper invited Stelling out to Los Angeles to record, he jumped at the chance to work with the Grammy-Award winning musician and producer. Ben Harper, who’s produced albums for Mavis Staples, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Rickie Lee Jones and more, brought along musicians like Jimmy Paxson (Stevie Nicks, Dixie Chicks) on drums and Mike Valerio (Randy Newman, LA Philharmonic) on upright bass to help bring the new songs alive. The upcoming new album Best of Luck will be the first album that Stelling hasn’t produce himself, with Harper able to pull him out of his comfort zone for what may be the most accessible album yet from CP. Throughout Best of Luck you will find everything from barnburners to evocative reflections, as Harper puts it “I really believe this record is the intersection where folk and soul meet”.
On the newest single “Lucky Stars”, Harper and Stelling keep it simple letting the lucid lyrics shine beside Stelling’s glistening picking. There wasn’t much else needed to complete the dazzling new song except some underlying lap steel from Harper and backup vocals from Stelling’s partner.
Christopher Paul Stelling told us about the song: “Lucky Stars is a song about resolutions and just giving simple thanks. It might be my least emotionally complex song come to think… I wrote it one morning over coffee with my partner reading nearby and the dog and cat hanging nearby… sounds quaint, but I don’t usually get much time at home, so that’s always really special for me.”
While “Lucky Stars” is a sublime song, there’s still the romantic somberness found in so many of Stelling’s other songs, showing off his unique ability to convey both the hopeful and the dark parts of any almost any situation. Stelling’s able to completely live in the moment, while always having an eye out into the universe and the bigger picture, which is conveyed perfectly in the melodic simplicity of “Lucky Stars”.
The video for “Lucky Stars” follows Stelling as he meets his partner at the county fairgrounds. With the slow motion reel allowing us to follow the two as they live within the shimmering lights of the fair, you see them enjoying everything from bumper cars to throwing darts and each other’s company. No matter what else may be happening in life, they are there at the fair, enjoying this moment in time. The romantic candor of the sparkling video perfectly compliments the melancholy atmosphere of the song.
“I’d been trying to think of something to represent the night sky, that wasn’t the night sky… keeping with the ‘Lucky Stars’ theme of the song, I had been toying with various ideas of lights in the night, and my partner Julia mentioned the county fair was coming up. We rolled through for a test and basically shot the entire video just hanging out. This is the third video for this upcoming record that I’ve made with my friend Andrew Anderson, and it might be my favorite” said Stelling.
Listen and watch the premiere of the new single “Lucky Stars” from Christopher Paul Stelling above, or listen on your streaming platform of choice. His new album Best of Luck is out on February 7th via ANTI- Records. You can preorder here and don’t miss the chance to see CP Stelling live across the US and Europe behind the upcoming new album starting in February in a city near you. Tour dates below.
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UPCOMING CHRISTOPHER PAUL STELLING TOUR DATES
2/5 – Providence, RI @ The Columbus Theatre
2/6 – Portsmouth, NH @ The Press Room
2/7 – Boston, MA @ The Great Scott
2/8 – New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall
2/9 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Transparent Clinch Gallery
2/11 – Northampton, MA @ The Parlor Room
2/12 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom (Front Room)
2/13 – Washington, DC @ City Winery Upstairs
2/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live Upstairs
2/15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
2/16 – Charleston, WV @ Mountain Stage
2/18 – Worthington, OH @ Natalie’s
2/19 – Indianapolis, IN @ Square Cat Vinyl
2/20 – Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s
2/21 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Listening Room
2/22 – Madison, WI @ The Winnebago
2/23 – Rock Island, IL @ Rozz Tox
2/25 – Kansas City, MO @ Minibar
2/26 – Fayetteville, AK @ Fayetteville Roots HQ
2/27 – Dallas, TX @ Sundown at Granada
2/28 – Austin, TX @ The Townsend
3/1 – Apache Junction, AZ @ Desert Valley House Concerts
3/3 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
3/4 – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge
3/5 – San Francisco, CA @ Amado’s
3/7 – Seattle, WA @ Conor Byrne
3/8 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
3/13 – Fort Collins, CO @ Magic Rat
3/14 – Denver, CO @ Tuft Theatre at Swallow Hill
3/17 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
3/18 – Memphis, TN @ Lafayette’s Music Room
3/19 – Birmingham, AL @ Seasick Records
3/20 – Atlanta, GA @ Eddie’s Attic
3/21 – Asheville, NC @ Ambrose West
7/10 & 11 – Snowshoe, WV @ 4848 Festival
Europe :: 2020
3/28 – Gustavsberg, SWE @ R’n’R Diner
3/29 – Stockholm, SWE @ Twang
3/30 – Oslo, NO @ Krøsset
3/31 – Malmö, SWE @ Folk å Rock
4/1 – Odense, DK @ Dexter
4/2 – Gladsaxe, DK @ Richter
4/3 – Berlin, DE @ Privatclub
4/4 – Cologne, DE @ Weltempfänger
4/5 – Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg
4/6 – London, UK @ The Old Blue Last
4/7 – Chester, UK @ St Marys Creative Space
4/8 – Glasgow, UK @ Broadcast
4/10 – Oostende, BE @ De Zwerver
4/11 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown
4/13 – Recklinghausen, DE @ Creative Outlaws
4/15 – Milano, IT @ Legend Club
4/16 – Turin, IT @ Blah Blah
4/17 – Florence, IT @ Arci Progresso
4/18 – Ravenna, IT @ Boca Barranca
4/20 – Langnau, CH @ Käptn Holger
4/22 – Barberaz, FR @ Le Brin de Zinc
4/23 – Nevers, FR @ La Tavern
4/28 – Barcelona, ESP @ Casa Gràcia
4/29 – Zaragoza, ESP @ Rock & Blues Café
4/30 – Madrid, ESP @ El Intruso
5/1 – Vigo, ESP @ Radar Estudios
5/2 – Braga, PT @ Teatro Circo
5/6 – Brussels, BE @ Secret Show
5/8 – Groningen, NL @ Der-Aa Theater
5/9 – Middelburg, NL @ Kaffee ’t Hof
8/27-30 – Tønder, DK @ Tønder Festival
9/12 – Enschede, NL @ Tuckerville
