NPR

Christopher Paul Stelling Explains His New Album 'Itinerant Arias,' Track By Track

Christopher Paul Stelling, a singer and songwriter with a fingerpicked sound and a poetic sensibility all his own, runs through the inspirations of his new record, song by song.
<em>Itinerant Arias</em> by Christopher Paul Stelling

The first time I saw Christopher Paul Stelling his face was red and his eyes were wide, singing as if he were about to burst apart, as if he had so much to tell us and too little time, as if his mind was racing faster than his tongue could keep up with. He's a singer with the spirit of Woody Guthrie both deep within and showing on his sleeve. Stelling has a new collection of songs he has titled Itinerant Arias, which he says "sounds a lot better than 'travelin' songs,'" but that's exactly what they are. Songs which have in common no single origin, or sense of place. Like found objects, overheard stories, lost melodies.

And so today, to mark the release of we thought we'd let this man of words take you

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
Taiwan's New President Urges China To Stop Its Military Intimidation
Taiwan's new President Lai Ching-te in his inauguration speech has urged China to stop its military intimidation against the self-governed island Beijing claims as its own territory.
NPR1 min read
The Two Companies Driving The Modern Economy
At the core of most of the electronics we use today are some very tiny, very powerful chips. Semiconductor chips. And they are mighty: they help power our phones, laptops, and cars. They enable advances in healthcare, military systems, transportation
NPR1 min read
Bringing A Tariff To A Graphite Fight
Graphite is sort of the one-hit wonder of minerals. And that hit? Pencils. Everyone loves to talk about pencils when it comes to graphite. If graphite were to perform a concert, they'd close out the show with "pencils," and everyone would clap and ch

Related Books & Audiobooks