It’s hard to believe that The Shape I’m In is Sterling Drake’s first full-length album. After years of writing great songs and packing honky-tonks and dance floors, The Shape I’m In feels less like a debut and more like a long-overdue arrival. And y’all – it was worth the wait.
The title track opens the album like a gut punch wrapped in comfort. It’s tender, familiar, and delivers like a forgotten Willie tune. From there, the album stretches its legs and takes a trot through the pasture. It gets up and goes when it needs to, then slows down just enough to take it all in. What ties it all together is Drake himself – he’s not trying to prove anything. He’s just telling the truth in a way that feels easy to trust, genuinely singing the life he’s living. It’s the sawdust floors, but it’s also the cattle drives – the mountains to the plains – and authentic cowboy poetry.
Sterling Drake’s ability to write a song shines bright and has been proven, but a highlight for me is his cover of House of the Rising Sun – a song that holds a huge amount of nostalgia for me. He and the band take it for a ride and make it feel as country as it was always meant to be – upbeat, fun, and carrying the same sort of energy as John Anderson’s Seminole Wind.
The Shape I’m In isn’t flashy. It’s honest, patient, and real – a debut from someone who’s clearly been ready for a long time.
– @meanwhile_in_music
