Southside (Sam Hunt album)

Southside[lower-alpha 1] 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 Big Loud Records recording artist Ernest, and began on Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 28, 2020.[5][6]

Southside
Studio album by Sam Hunt
Released	April 3, 2020
Studio	Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Country[1] country pop[1] R&B[1]
Length	39:01
Label	MCA Nashville
Producer	Zach Crowell (all tracks) Luke Laird (track 2) Bryce Cain (track 10) Charlie Handsome (track 8)
Sam Hunt chronology
Montevallo (2014) Southside (2020)
Singles from Southside
"Body Like a Back Road" Released: February 2, 2017 "Downtown's Dead" Released: May 16, 2018 "Kinfolks" Released: October 11, 2019 "Hard to Forget" Released: March 9, 2020 "Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90s" Released: October 12, 2020

Background

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",[12] "Downtown's Dead",[13] as well as the track "Drinkin' Too Much".[14] Hunt gave little details on when his second album would be released until the release of "Kinfolks" in October 2019,[15] 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.[16] 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,[17] and was later announced to be the next single.[18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	72/100[19]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[20]
Robert Christgau	A−[21]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[22]
Pitchfork	7.5/10[23]
Rolling Stone	[24]
Slant Magazine	[25]
Tom Hull	B+ ()[26]

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.[19]

Writing for Rolling Stone, Jon Freeman highlighted the "thread of sensitivity" in Southside and opined that the album made Hunt "a crossover star."[24] Chris DeVille of Stereogum positively compared the album to Montevallo, praising how the former contains "ever more adventurous packaging and a more seasoned perspective".[27] 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".[23] In a mixed review, Seth Wilson of Slant Magazine took note of the album's "ingratiating charm" but criticized its lyrical content.[25] 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".[28]

Rankings

Critics' rankings for Southside

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

Commercial performance

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.[34]

Track listing

Southside track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"2016"	Sam Hunt Zach Crowell Josh Thompson	3:55
2.	"Hard to Forget"	Hunt Ashley Gorley Josh Osborne Luke Laird Shane McAnally Autry Greisham Mary Jean Shurtz Russ Hull[lower-alpha 2]	3:24
3.	"Kinfolks"	Hunt Crowell Jerry Flowers Osborne	3:01
4.	"Young Once"	Hunt Crowell Matt Jenkins Osborne	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"	Hunt Crowell Chris LaCorte Osborne Ernest K. Smith	2:50
8.	"Downtown's Dead"	Hunt Crowell Osborne McAnally Charlie Handsome	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

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

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Southside Chart (2020) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[35] 41 Australian Country Albums (ARIA)[36] 3 UK Country Albums (OCC)[37] 6 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[38] 4 US Billboard 200[39] 5 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[40] 1

Year-end charts 2020 year-end chart performance for Southside Chart (2020) Position Australian Top Country Albums (ARIA)[41] 28 US Billboard 200[42] 100 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[43] 10

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[44]	Platinum	80,000^^
United States (RIAA)[45]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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

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

References

1. "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. "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. "Sam Hunt Releases "Body Like a Back Road"". Vents Magazine. February 2, 2017.
13. "Hunt finds "Downtown's Dead"". Country Standard Time. May 16, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
14. References confirming release of "Drinkin' Too Much":
    • Stefano, Angela (January 1, 2017). "Sam Hunt Drops Brand-New Song, "Drinkin' Too Much" [LISTEN]". The Boot. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
    • Hudak, Joseph (January 1, 2017). "Hear Sam Hunt's Repentant New Song 'Drinkin' Too Much'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
15. Freeman, Jon (October 10, 2019). "Hear Sam Hunt's New Song 'Kinfolks'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
16. References confirming release of "Sinning with You":
    • Colley, Katie (September 20, 2019). "Sam Hunt Premieres New Song 'Sinning With You', Reveals Details On Next Album After His 'Reboot'". ET Canada. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
    • "Sinning With You – Single by Sam Hunt on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
17. "Hard to Forget – Single by Sam Hunt". Apple Music. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
18. "Check Out Sam Hunt's Next Single, "Hard To Forget" [LISTEN]". Country 106.5 WYRK. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
19. "Southside by Sam Hunt Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
20. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Southside – Sam Hunt". AllMusic. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
21. "Consumer Guide: May, 2020". May 13, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
22. Johnston, Maura (April 3, 2020). "Sam Hunt showcases his affable charm on Southside: Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
23. Weiner, Natalie (April 9, 2020). "Sam Hunt: Southside Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
24. Freeman, Jon (April 8, 2020). "Sam Hunt Looks Backward While Continuing to Push Country's Boundaries on 'Southside'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
25. Wilson, Seth (April 3, 2020). "Review: Sam Hunt's Southside Is a Shallow Attempt at Genre Pastiche". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
26. Hull, Tom (18 April 2020). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
27. DeVille, Chris (April 6, 2020). "Country Innovator Sam Hunt's New Southside Was Worth The 6-Year Wait". Stereogum. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
28. Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: May, 2020". robertchristgau.substack.com. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
29. Billboard Staff (June 9, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
30. Brooks, Dave (December 7, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020: Staff Picks". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
31. Pareles, Jon; Caramanica, Jon; Zoladz, Lindsay (2020-12-02). "Best Albums of 2020". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
32. "Best Albums of 2020 So Far". Stereogum. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
33. White, Logan (December 22, 2020). "Substream AOTY: Logan White's Favorite Albums Of 2020". Substream Magazine. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
34. 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.
35. "Australiancharts.com – Sam Hunt – Southside". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
36. "ARIA Report". ARIA. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
37. "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
38. "Sam Hunt Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 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. "Canadian album certifications – Sam Hunt – Southside". Music Canada.
45. "American album certifications – Sam Hunt – Southside". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.