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Suffer in Peace is the second studio album by American country music artist Tyler Farr. It was released on April 28, 2015 via Columbia Nashville records. Following the success of his debut album Redneck Crazy, Farr went to work on new material for his next album that had more darker and serious content. The album garnered mixed reviews from critics. Suffer in Peace debuted at numbers 2 and 4 on the Top Country Albums and Billboard 200 charts respectively and spawned three singles: "A Guy Walks Into a Bar", "Withdrawals" and "Better in Boots".

Background and development

While touring with Brantley Gilbert[1] and Jason Aldean[2] on their respective tours for promotion on his debut album Redneck Crazy, Farr started performing material that would be part of his next album.[3] He expressed wanting to move into a more traditional direction following the critical reception of the album's title track and "Whiskey in My Water" and the positive reviews given to "A Guy Walks Into a Bar".[4] This gave him the mindset to work on material that was more than just typical country radio singles.[5] Farr chose the album title Suffer in Peace because it had a dark underpinning to it and that there were two opposites in the words that make up the title.[6] For the album's track listing, Farr co-wrote three songs and chose the rest based on what he felt represented his life and spoke to him as an artist.[7]

Music and lyrics

Opening track "C.O.U.N.T.R.Y." was described by Farr as a "rural country anthem" that he could picture being played at a party in his hometown of Missouri.[6] The song utilizes a swampy banjo groove that's described as sounding like "Hank Williams, Jr. backed by ZZ Top."[8] "A Guy Walks Into a Bar" uses the bar joke as a setting for a brokenhearted man in a bar.[9] Farr discovered the song during a writers' round that was being held at a bar he was at. One of the co-writers, Jonathan Singleton, was playing the song and was asked by Farr if he could record it.[10] "Withdrawals" is a break-up song about relating that kind of pain to addiction.[11] Farr said that this was the last song to be added to the album and he was fascinated by the demo consisting of a piano and drum loop as its overall sound.[7] His vocal delivery over the production was something he chose that made it transition from a country song to full-on storytelling.[12] "Damn Good Friends" is a duet with fellow country singer Jason Aldean about genuine bonding with a true friend reminiscent of Tracy Lawrence's "Find Out Who Your Friends Are".[5] Farr got the idea to have Aldean on the track when he was working on it and thought about his camaraderie with him:

"I just honestly heard the song and cut it because I just loved the song. And then the more I started listening to it, I'm like, "You know, this would be great to do with Jason," because I've become really close with him, become good friends with him over the past year, and we're touring with him again this year, and we've hung out a lot together, and I'm friends with his family and was just at his wedding, so we're very close. And I think you can tell in the song, you can see some real truth in the lyrics and how we're singing it, that we are good friends, and we've got each other's backs."[6]

The title track is about a man who finds seclusion in the wilderness after being heartbroken by his ex-girlfriend.[5] Farr explained that it represented what he felt was the entire theme of the album, saying that it played out like an intriguing book and that he didn't care that it wouldn't be played on the radio.[5][8] "Raised to Pray" is about a teenager reveling in late night antics while reminding himself of his religious upbringing.[13] "Better in Boots" is a bro-country song about telling a woman that her cowboy boots look much better on her than anything else she's wearing.[8] "Poor Boy" revolves around a man with rural roots wanting to get a chance with an uptown girl.[6] "I Don't Even Want This Beer" is about dealing with your problems by hesitantly drinking alcohol.[11] The album closer, "Why We Live Here", is a tribute to the troops song. Farr said that he wrote the track while on tour with the Navy in the Persian Gulf and that he wanted it to have class and not be overly patriotic.[6][10]

Singles and promotion

The album's first single, "A Guy Walks Into a Bar", was released to country radio on August 18, 2014 to build up hype for the album.[14] It gave Farr his first number-one country hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Its 42-week climb to that peak was the fifth longest climb to number one in the chart's 25-year history.[15] It was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 17, 2015.[16] A music video directed by Jeff Venable was created for the single and released on Farr's YouTube page on October 17, 2014.[17] A second single, "Withdrawals", was released on June 15, 2015 but was only able to peak at numbers 47 and 52 on both the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts respectively.[18][19] A music video directed by Eric Welch was made for the single and premiered on June 15, 2015.[20] The third and final single, "Better in Boots", was released on August 17, 2015, following the studio's decision to remove "Withdrawals" from country radio and instead push for a more upbeat and female-friendly single.[21] It peaked at number 26 on both the Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts respectively.[18][19] A music video for the single, directed by Eric Welch, premiered on Farr's Vevo page on November 6, 2015.[22]

On the album's release date, Tyler promoted it by performing "A Guy Walks Into a Bar" live on NBC's Today.[23] On November 18, 2015, Farr announced that he will co-headline a tour with Lee Brice called the Life Off My Years Tour, beginning on February 4, 2016 in Salisbury, Maryland and ending on April 3 in Toledo, Ohio.[24] A week before the start of the tour, Farr revealed that he required surgery to remove a polyp from his vocal cords and be put on vocal rest, leaving Brice to fill his spot with Maddie & Tae, Clare Dunn and Jerrod Niemann.[25]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[26]
Billboard[27]
Spin6/10[28]

Jewly Hight of Billboard gave the album high praise for Farr's vocal performance on tracks like "A Guy Walks Into a Bar" and "I Don't Even Want This Beer" that show both grit and grain while also revealing a bit of vulnerability in places, concluding that "Along with moments devoted to sentimentality and rural pride, it all adds up to one of country's richer portraits of masculinity in recent memory."[27] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine found the album's pacing a bit slow without any party songs, despite praising ballads like "Criminal" and the title track for their charms, saying that "these would've been placed in sharper relief if there were a fast tune or two as contrast."[26] Anthony Easton of Spin felt the album contained nondescript country instrumentation and character portrayals despite tracks like "Poor Boy" and "I Don't Even Want This Beer" being standouts, concluding that "When Farr gets introspective, he’s worth hearing, but he doesn’t do shallow well, and it’s a shame that’s his norm with only a couple exceptions per full-length."[28]

Accolades

Publication Rank List
Rolling Stone 31 40 Best Country Albums of 2015[29]

Track listing

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."C.O.U.N.T.R.Y."
3:22
2."A Guy Walks Into a Bar"
3:16
3."Withdrawals"
3:45
4."Damn Good Friends" (duet with Jason Aldean)
3:06
5."Suffer in Peace"
4:02
6."Raised to Pray"
3:35
7."Criminal"
3:11
8."Better in Boots"
  • Justin Wilson
  • Dave Pittenger
2:56
9."Poor Boy"
3:05
10."I Don't Even Want This Beer"
  • Farr
  • Wade Kirby
  • O'Donnell
  • Houston Phillips
3:13
11."Why We Live Here"
  • Farr
  • Davidson
  • Phillips
3:17

Personnel

Credits for Suffer in Peace adapted from AllMusic.[30]

Chart performance

The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 4, and the Top Country Albums chart at number 2, selling 36,300 copies for the week,[31] and 41,629 units in total album activity (including streaming and TEA).[32] The album has sold 100,500 copies in the US as of November 2015.[33]

Album

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[34] 11
US Billboard 200[35] 4
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[36] 2

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
US Country US Country Airplay US CAN Country CAN
2014 "A Guy Walks Into a Bar" 7 1 51 9 67
2015 "Withdrawals" 47 52 — — —
"Better in Boots" 26 26 125 43 —

Promotional singles

Year Single Album
2015 "Suffer in Peace" Suffer in Peace

References

  1. ^ Freeman, Jon (July 14, 2014). "Brantley Gilbert Announces Second Leg of Let It Ride Tour, Special Pre-Sale". Nash Country Weekly. American Media, Inc. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  2. ^ Dukes, Billy (January 9, 2014). "Jason Aldean Launching 2014 Burn It Down Tour With Florida Georgia Line, Tyler Farr". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  3. ^ Betts, Stephen L. (February 23, 2015). "Tyler Farr Digs Deep With New Album 'Suffer in Peace'". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  4. ^ Masley, Ed (September 17, 2014). "Interview: Tyler Farr on life after 'Redneck Crazy'". The Arizona Republic. Gannett Company. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d Hudak, Joseph (May 1, 2015). "Tyler Farr on Musical Heartache, Redneck Hate and New Album". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e Stefano, Angela (April 26, 2015). "Interview: Tyler Farr Is Ready to Share 'Suffer in Peace'". The Boot. Townsquare Media. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Bjorke, Matt (May 18, 2015). "Tyler Farr Talks "Suffer in Peace" Album". Roughstock. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c Freeman, Jon (May 11, 2015). "Tyler Farr Weathers the Storms On His Sophomore Album, "Suffer In Peace"". Nash Country Weekly. American Media, Inc. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  9. ^ Dukes, Billy (July 29, 2014). "Tyler Farr, 'A Guy Walks Into a Bar' - ToC Critic's Pick [Listen]". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Reuter, Annie (May 1, 2015). "Interview: Tyler Farr Says 'Suffer In Peace' is an Authentic Portrait of Who He Is". Radio.com. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  11. ^ a b Vain, Madison (April 28, 2015). "Country's King of Heartbreak: Tyler Farr talks songwriting, standing out, and Suffer in Peace". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. p. 1. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  12. ^ Vain, Madison (April 28, 2015). "Country's King of Heartbreak: Tyler Farr talks songwriting, standing out, and Suffer in Peace". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. p. 2. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  13. ^ Vain, Madison (April 21, 2015). "Tyler Farr shares 'Raised to Pray' off forthcoming album – exclusive". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  14. ^ "R&R :: Going For Adds :: Country". Radio & Records. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  15. ^ Trust, Gary (May 19, 2015). "Tyler Farr Scores First No. 1 on Country Airplay, Steven Tyler Debuts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  16. ^ "American single certifications – Tyler Farr – A Guy Walks Into A Bar". Recording Industry Association of America.
  17. ^ Howell, Coti (October 17, 2014). "Tyler Farr Gets the Girl in 'A Guy Walks into a Bar' Video". Taste of Country. Taste of Country Network. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  18. ^ a b "Tyler Farr – Chart History: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  19. ^ a b "Tyler Farr – Chart History: Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  20. ^ Reuter, Annie (June 15, 2015). "Tyler Farr Says Nine Inch Nails Influenced His New 'Withdrawals' Video: Watch". Radio.com. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  21. ^ Hensley, Todd (August 28, 2015). "Rumor Mill - Traingle Offense". HITS Daily Double. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  22. ^ "VIDEO PREMIERE: Tyler Farr Has A Whole Lot Of Fun In 'Better In Boots' Video". iHeartRadio. iHeartMedia, Inc. November 6, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  23. ^ Freeman, Jon (April 29, 2015). "Tyler Farr Performs "A Guy Walks Into a Bar" on "Today"". Nash Country Weekly. American Media, Inc. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  24. ^ Reuter, Annie (November 18, 2015). "Lee Brice, Tyler Farr Announce 2016 Life Off My Years Tour". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  25. ^ Stefano, Angela (January 27, 2016). "With Tyler Farr on Vocal Rest, Lee Brice Adds Special Guests to Life Off My Years Tour". The Boot. Townsquare Media. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  26. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Suffer in Peace - Tyler Farr". AllMusic. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  27. ^ a b Hight, Jewly (May 5, 2015). "Tyler Farr Goes From Bro to Brooding on Sophomore Album 'Suffer in Peace': Album Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  28. ^ a b Easton, Anthony (July 1, 2015). "SPIN Country Report: Willie and Merle Light Up, Rhiannon Giddens Revives Revivals". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  29. ^ Rolling Stone Staff (December 8, 2015). "40 Best Country Albums of 2015". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  30. ^ "Suffer in Peace - Tyler Farr | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  31. ^ Bjorke, Matt (May 6, 2015). "Country Album Chart Report For May 6, 2015". Roughstock. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  32. ^ "Tyler Farr's Suffer In Peace Debuts Top 5 on Billboard Top 200 and Billboard Country Albums Chart". Sony Music Nashville. May 6, 2015.
  33. ^ Bjorke, Matt (November 17, 2015). "Country Album Chart Report for November 16, 2015". Roughstock. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  34. ^ "Tyler Farr Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
  35. ^ "Tyler Farr Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  36. ^ "Tyler Farr Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
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