Country legend Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives have announced their first new album in six years. The LP, Altitude, is set to drop on May 19.
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To celebrate the news, the country singer has shared the album’s title track, along with a visualizer video for the previously released single, “Country Star.”
“I’ve been quoted as saying the most outlaw thing you can possibly do in Nashville, Tennessee, these days is to play country music,” said Stuart in a statement. “It can be done. On [the song] ‘Altitude,’ there are twin fiddles, steel guitar, and the legendary Pig Robbins playing piano on what turned out to be one of his last recording sessions.
“The song is a reminder to me, and to anyone else still interested, that there’s a few of us out here who still know how to make authentic country music. I have an absolute belief that there’s a world of people out there who still love it, as my wife Connie Smith says it’s the ‘cry of the heart,’ Harlan Howard said ‘it’s’ three chords and the truth’—that’s country music.”
The new album was recorded in Nashville with Stuart’s longtime band The Fabulous Superlatives, which is comprised of Kenny Vaughan, Harry Stinson, and Chris Scruggs. It’s the latest LP since his 2017 offering, Way Out West.
“I’ve always loved songs that feel like old friends but still sound new and fresh,” Stuart added. “The beautiful thing about country music is that the blueprint Jimmie Rodgers laid down—rambling, gambling, sin, redemption, Heaven, Hell—it’s all just as relevant now as it ever was. It’s the human condition, and if you’re honest about it and you’ve got a real band around you, you can make something that’s uniquely yours and stands the test of time.”
The five-time Grammy Award-winning Stuart also kicks off a nationwide tour on Thursday (February 9). He has more dates slated for this summer with country superstar Chris Stapleton. See the full list of dates, new songs, and new LP tracklist below.
Altitude tracklist:
1. “Lost Byrd Space Train (Scene 1)”
2. “Country Star”
3. “Sitting Alone”
4. “A Friend Of Mine”
5. “Space”
6. “Altitude”
7. “Vegas”
8. “The Sun Is Quietly Sleeping”
9. “Lost Byrd Space Train (Scene 2)”
10. “Night Riding”
11. “Tomahawk”
12. “Time To Dance”
13. “The Angels Came Down”
14. “Lost Byrd Space Train (Epilogue)”
Marty Stuart Tour Dates:
2/9 – Chattanooga, TN – The Walker Theatre
2/10 – Augusta, GA – Imperial Theatre
2/11 – Shelby, NC – Don Gibson Theatre
2/17 – Clearwater, FL – Bilheimer Capitol Theatre
2/18 – Ocala, FL – Reilly Arts Center
2/19 – Stuart, FL – Lyric Theatre
2/20 – Key West, FL – Key West Theatre
2/23 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre Jacksonville
2/24 – Decatur, AL – Princess Theater
3/4 – Hopkins, MN – Hopkins Center for the Arts
3/5 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School of Folks Music
3/10 – Fayetteville, AK – Starr Theater – Walton Arts Center
3/24 – St. Louis, MO – Sheldon Concert Hall
3/25 – Senatobia, MS – Northwest Mississippi Community College for the Performing Arts
4/6 – Vienna, VA – The Barns at Wolf Trap
4/7 – Vienna, VA – The Barns at Wolf Trap
4/14 – Easton, PA – State Theatre Center for the Arts
4/15 – Ridgefield, CT – Ridgefield Playhouse
4/16 – Wilmington, DE – Copeland Hall
4/27 – Tucson, AZ – Fox Tucson Theatre
4/28 – Scottsdale, AZ – Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
4/29 – Indio, CA – Stagecoach Festival
5/4 – Lincolnton, GA – Little Roy & Lizzy Music Festival
5/13 – Greeneville, TN – Niswonger Performing Arts Center
6/2 – Shipshewana, IN – Blue Gate Performing Arts Center
6/15 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena #
6/16 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater #
6/22 – Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena #
6/23 – Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena #
7/6 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater #
7/19 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center #
7/20 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre #
8/10 – Gilford, NH – Bank of NH Pavilion #
8/11 – Gilford, NH – Bank of NH Pavilion #
9/30 – Steelville, MO – Wildwood Springs Lodge
# – with Chris Stapleton
Photo by Alysse Gafkjen / Courtesy Missing Piece Group
