Southside (Sam Hunt album)

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"Young Once" redirects here. For the song by +/-, see Jumping the Tracks.
Southside
Studio album by
Sam Hunt
ReleasedApril 3, 2020 (2020-04-03)
StudioNashville, Tennessee
Genre
Length39:01
LabelMCA Nashville
Producer
Sam Hunt chronology
Montevallo
(2014) 		Southside
(2020)
Singles from Southside
  1. "Body Like a Back Road"
    Released: February 2, 2017
  2. "Downtown's Dead"
    Released: May 16, 2018
  3. "Kinfolks"
    Released: October 11, 2019
  4. "Hard to Forget"
    Released: March 9, 2020
  5. "Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90s"
    Released: October 12, 2020

Southside[a] is the second studio album by American singer Sam Hunt. It was released through MCA Nashville on April 3, 2020.[2][3][4] It was slated to be supported by the Southside Summer Tour 2020, which would have featured guests Kip Moore, Travis Denning, Brandi Cyrus, and Ernest, and was set to begin in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 28, 2020, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6]

Background[edit]

Following the success of Hunt's debut album Montevallo, released in 2014,[7] Hunt sporadically released several singles[8][9] while delaying his second studio album.[10][11] In the years between, he released the massive hit "Body Like a Back Road",[citation needed] "Downtown's Dead",[12] as well as the track "Drinkin' Too Much".[13] Hunt gave little details on when his second album would be released until the release of "Kinfolks" in October 2019,[14] when he stated the full album would be released in 2020 and followed it up with the release of the track "Sinning with You" in January 2020.[15] In February 2020, Hunt finally revealed the album title Southside as well as an April 2020 release date.[4] The track "Hard to Forget" was soon released to coincide with the beginning of pre-orders,[16] and was later announced to be the next single.[17]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[18]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[19]
Robert ChristgauA−[20]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[21]
Pitchfork7.5/10[22]
Rolling Stone[23]
Slant Magazine[24]
Tom HullB+ ((1-star Honorable Mention))[25]

Southside was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album holds an average score of 72 based on six reviews.[18]

Writing for Rolling Stone, Jon Freeman highlighted the "thread of sensitivity" in Southside and opined that the album made Hunt "a crossover star."[23] Chris DeVille of Stereogum positively compared the album to Montevallo, praising how the former contains "ever more adventurous packaging and a more seasoned perspective".[26] In concurrence, Pitchfork's Natalie Weiner stated that the album "shows a clarity of purpose that his debut lacked" while also praising Hunt's "enviably organic" way of threading "the country/hip-hop needle".[22] In a mixed review, Seth Wilson of Slant Magazine took note of the album's "ingratiating charm" but criticized its lyrical content.[24] Robert Christgau awarded the album an A− grade in his online subscription letter praising in particular Hunt's "way with words" prevailing throughout the record, citing the chorus of 'Body Like a Back Road' as an example of his words cherishing "the American vernacular that imbues great pop songwriting from Irving Berlin to Jay-Z in a Nashville dialect that recalls John Prine".[27]

Rankings[edit]

Critics' rankings for Southside
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Billboard Billboard's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year —
[28]
Billboard Billboard's 50 Best Albums of 2020
43
[29]
The New York Times Best Albums of 2020 (Jon Caramanica)
1
[30]
Stereogum Stereogum's 50 Best Albums of 2020 – Mid-Year
33
[31]
Substream Magazine Best Albums of 2020 (Logan White)
2
[32]

Commercial performance[edit]

Southside debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, opening with 46,000 album-equivalent units, including 18,000 pure album sales. It earned the third-largest streaming week for a country album, and is Hunt's second US top-10 album.[33]

Track listing[edit]

Southside track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."2016"
3:55
2."Hard to Forget"
3:24
3."Kinfolks"
  • Hunt
  • Crowell
  • Jerry Flowers
  • Osborne
3:01
4."Young Once"
3:05
5."Body Like a Back Road"
  • Hunt
  • Crowell
  • McAnally
  • Osborne
2:42
6."That Ain't Beautiful"
  • Hunt
  • Crowell
  • McAnally
2:44
7."Let It Down"
2:50
8."Downtown's Dead"
3:33
9."Nothing Lasts Forever"
  • Hunt
  • Crowell
  • Osborne
  • McAnally
3:04
10."Sinning with You"
  • Hunt
  • Osborne
  • Paul DiGiovanni
  • Emily Weisband
3:16
11."Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90s"
  • Hunt
  • Crowell
  • LaCorte
  • Osborne
  • Smith
3:35
12."Drinkin' Too Much"
  • Hunt
  • Crowell
  • McAnally
  • Stuart Hine
3:52
Total length:39:01

Personnel[edit]

Adapted from Southside liner notes.[34]

  • Gideon Boley – pedal steel guitar (track 3)
  • Tim Braisted – bass guitar (track 8), background vocals (track 10)
  • Josh Burkett – electric guitar (track 8), guitar (track 5)
  • Bryce Cain – acoustic guitar (track 10), keyboards (track 10), programming (track 10)
  • Tyrone Carreker – electric guitar (track 8), background vocals (track 10)
  • Jamil Chammas – electric guitar (track 8)
  • Dave Cohen – keyboards (track 10)
  • Zach Crowell – bass guitar (track 3), acoustic guitar (track 6), keyboards (tracks 2–7, 9, 11, 12), programming (all tracks), background vocals (tracks 2–6, 8, 9)
  • Ian Fitchuk – keyboards (tracks 5, 8), organ (track 5)
  • Jeneé Fleenor – fiddle (tracks 2, 4, 9)
  • Jerry Flowers – background vocals (track 3)
  • Charlie Handsome – acoustic guitar (track 8), programming (track 8)
  • Sam Hunt – guitar (track 5), lead vocals (all tracks)
  • Evan Hutchings – drums (track 8)
  • Chris LaCorte – banjo (track 7), acoustic guitar (tracks 3, 7), electric guitar (track 7), keyboards (track 3)
  • Luke Laird – acoustic guitar (track 2), electric guitar (track 2), programming (track 2)
  • Devin Malone – cello (track 12), acoustic guitar (tracks 1, 4, 9, 11), electric guitar (tracks 3, 4, 8, 11), guitar (tracks 5, 12), pedal steel guitar (tracks 3, 9, 12)
  • Josh Matheny – dobro (tracks 3, 7, 11), acoustic guitar (track 3)
  • Anthony Olympia – dobro (track 8)
  • Josh Osborne – guitar (track 5), background vocals (tracks 3, 5)
  • Justin Ostrander – electric guitar (track 8)
  • Russ Pahl – dobro (track 2), pedal steel guitar (tracks 1, 2, 6, 7, 11)
  • Sol Philcox-Littlefield – electric guitar (track 4)
  • Joshua Sales – drums (tracks 5, 8)
  • Scotty Sanders – dobro (track 5), pedal steel guitar (tracks 5, 8)
  • Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar (tracks 1, 3, 4)
  • Bryan Sutton – acoustic guitar (tracks 1, 10)
  • Russell Terrell – background vocals (track 1)
  • Ilya Toshinsky – banjo (tracks 3, 4), dobro (track 3), acoustic guitar (tracks 2–4, 11), electric guitar (tracks 8, 11)
  • Derek Wells – electric guitar (track 3)
  • Nir Z. – drums (tracks 3, 4)

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for Southside
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[48] Platinum 80,000‡
United States (RIAA)[49] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Release formats for Southside
Country Date Format Label Ref.
Various April 3, 2020 Compact disc MCA Nashville [1]
Digital download
Streaming
July 17, 2020 Vinyl

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ stylized in all caps
  2. ^ Contains a sample of "There Stands the Glass" by Webb Pierce.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Southside - AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". AllMusic. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  2. ^ Freeman, Jon (February 5, 2020). "Sam Hunt Announces New Album 'Southside,' Plots Summer Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  3. ^ "Country Hitmaker Sam Hunt Schedules First Album Since 2014 Debut". Variety. February 5, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Everything We Know About Sam Hunt's Sophomore Album 'Southside'". The Boot. February 5, 2020.
  5. ^ Whitaker, Sterling (February 5, 2020). "Sam Hunt Announces Long-Awaited Sophomore Album, 'Southside'". Taste of Country. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  6. ^ "Sam Hunt Announces 'Southside' Album and Summer Headline Tour". Sounds Like Nashville. February 5, 2020.
  7. ^ "Sam Hunt Announces Sophomore Album 'Southside' After Six-Year Wait, Preps 2020 Tour". Billboard. February 5, 2020.
  8. ^ Volmers, Eric (September 20, 2019). "Country star Sam Hunt debuts new song in Calgary". Toronto Sun. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  9. ^ "With Second Album Not Yet in Sight, Sam Hunt Embraces Being a Singles Guy". Billboard. April 14, 2017.
  10. ^ "Sam Hunt Takes His Time With 'Montevallo' Followup: 'I'm Going to Put Music Out When I Feel Like it's Ready'". Billboard. October 26, 2016.
  11. ^ "Sam Hunt Sophomore Album: Expect a Few Singles Before Its Release". KXRB AM. October 26, 2016.
  12. ^ "Hunt finds "Downtown's Dead"". Country Standard Time. May 16, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  13. ^ References confirming release of "Drinkin' Too Much":
  14. ^ Freeman, Jon (October 10, 2019). "Hear Sam Hunt's New Song 'Kinfolks'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  15. ^ References confirming release of "Sinning with You":
  16. ^ "Hard to Forget – Single by Sam Hunt". Apple Music. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  17. ^ "Check Out Sam Hunt's Next Single, "Hard To Forget" [LISTEN]". Country 106.5 WYRK. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Southside by Sam Hunt Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  19. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Southside – Sam Hunt". AllMusic. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  20. ^ "Consumer Guide: May, 2020". May 13, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  21. ^ Johnston, Maura (April 3, 2020). "Sam Hunt showcases his affable charm on Southside: Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Weiner, Natalie (April 9, 2020). "Sam Hunt: Southside Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  23. ^ a b Freeman, Jon (April 8, 2020). "Sam Hunt Looks Backward While Continuing to Push Country's Boundaries on 'Southside'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  24. ^ a b Wilson, Seth (April 3, 2020). "Review: Sam Hunt's Southside Is a Shallow Attempt at Genre Pastiche". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  25. ^ Hull, Tom (18 April 2020). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  26. ^ DeVille, Chris (April 6, 2020). "Country Innovator Sam Hunt's New Southside Was Worth The 6-Year Wait". Stereogum. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
  27. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: May, 2020". robertchristgau.substack.com. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  28. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Billboard. June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  29. ^ Brooks, Dave (December 7, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  30. ^ Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon; Zoladz, Lindsay (2020-12-02). "Best Albums of 2020". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  31. ^ "Best Albums of 2020 So Far". Stereogum. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  32. ^ White, Logan (December 22, 2020). "Substream AOTY: Logan White's Favorite Albums Of 2020". Substream Magazine. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  33. ^ Caulfield, Keith (April 12, 2020). "The Weeknd's 'After Hours' Scores Third Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  34. ^ Southside (CD booklet). Southside. MCA Records Nashville. 2020. B0031776-02.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  35. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Sam Hunt – Southside". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  36. ^ "ARIA Report". ARIA. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  37. ^ "Sam Hunt Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  38. ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  39. ^ "Sam Hunt Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  40. ^ "Sam Hunt Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  41. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Country Albums for 2020". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  42. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  43. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  44. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Country Albums for 2021". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  45. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  46. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  47. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  48. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Sam Hunt – Southside". Music Canada.
  49. ^ "American album certifications – Sam Hunt – Southside". Recording Industry Association of America.
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