Purgatory is the second studio album by American country music singer Tyler Childers. It was released in August 2017 through two independent labels, Childers' own Hickman Holler Records and Nashville-based label Thirty Tigers. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA.
Musical style and composition Purgatory has been described as a country, bluegrass, honky-tonk, Appalachian, Americana, and folk album, with its Appalachian storytelling compared to albums such as Steve Earle's Copperhead Road, Sturgill Simpson's Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, and Patty Loveless' Mountain Soul.
Reception
The album has received a Metacritic rating of 82 based on 6 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
The album has sold 638,178 copies, both CD and streamable, in the United States as of December 2020.
Accolades Publication Accolade Rank Noisey Top 100 Albums of 2017 NPR Music Top 50 Albums of 2017 Rolling Stone Top 40 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2017
Album cover artwork The album cover artwork, drawn by an artist local to Kentucky, references the geographic outline of Lawrence County, Kentucky, Childers' birthplace.
Additionally, the coloration and shape are reminiscent of Kentucky agate, Kentucky's official state gemstone and a type of agate found in Estill, Jackson, Powell, Madison, and Rockcastle counties in Kentucky that has distinctive red, black, yellow, and gray bands due to its derivation from the Mississippian Borden Formation.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2017) Peakposition Chart (2024) Peakposition
Year-end charts Chart (2019) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 61 US Folk Albums (Billboard) 21 Chart (2020) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 19 US Folk Albums (Billboard) 3 Chart (2021) Position US Billboard 200 149 US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 14 US Folk Albums (Billboard) 3 Chart (2022) Position US Billboard 200 113 US Independent Albums (Billboard) 16 US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 11 US Folk Albums (Billboard) 4 Chart (2023) Position US Billboard 200 97 US Independent Albums (Billboard) 13 US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 21 US Folk Albums (Billboard) 6 Chart (2024) Position US Billboard 200 133 US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 29 Chart (2025) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 30
Certifications
Usage in film Multiple songs from Tyler Childers' Purgatory have been used in movies and television shows. In the hit series, Yellowstone, "Lady May" is featured in season 3 episode 2.
See also Lawrence County, Kentucky
References