Pelago is the debut studio album by American country music artist Ryan Hurd. It was released on October 15, 2021, via Arista Nashville. Its lead single, "Chasing After You", is certified Platinum by the RIAA.
Content The album's release was preceded by the single "Chasing After You" with Maren Morris. The song reached number two on the Country Airplay chart, giving Hurd his first top five single on the chart. "Pass It On" was released as the album's second single on February 22, 2022. Hurd co-wrote all but one of the album's tracks. "Tab with My Name on It" was previously recorded by Dallas Smith on his 2016 album, Side Effects.
Critical reception Nicole Piering of Country Swag wrote that with Hurd "having co-written ten of the album’s eleven tracks, Pelago truly continues" his "introduction as both a brilliant songwriter and an incredibly talented artist" and that "while it would be easy for Ryan Hurd to make a living as a writer, evidenced by his ever-growing and impressive body of work, he’s even more magical as an artist." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic similarly wrote that the album "is filled with easy melodies, gilded surfaces, and soft R&B rhythms, a warm setting that allows Hurd to sound empathetic yet masculine."
Commercial performance Pelago debuted at number 11 on the Top Country Albums chart, and peaked at number 71 on the Billboard 200.
Track listing
Personnel Tracks 1–11 adapted from Pelago liner notes. Tracks 12–15 adapted from Spotify.
Musicians Ryan Hurd — lead/background vocals Phil Lawson — drums/percussion Tony Lucido — bass Ilya Toshinsky — acoustic guitar, dobro, ukulele Aaron Eshuis — acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, programming, background vocals Matthew McGinn — acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, programming, background vocals Joe Clemmons — acoustic guitar Derek Wells — electric guitar Teddy Reimer — guitars, synth, programming Dave Cohen — keyboards Jesse Frasure — synth, programming Justin Niebank — programming Jason Saenz — trumpet Charlie Judge — strings Jun Iwasaki — violin David Davidson — violin Dave Angell — violin Alicia Enstrom — violin Kristin Wilkinson — viola Monisa Angell — viola Kevin Bate — cello Carole Rabinowitz — cello Katie Ohh — background vocals Maren Morris — duet vocals (track 3), background vocals Ben Caver — background vocals Michael Hardy — background vocals
Technical Aaron Eshuis — producer (all tracks), digital editing Teddy Reimer — producer (track 3) Jesse Frasure — producer (track 9) Dann Huff — producer (tracks 12 and 14) Mark Trussell — producer (track 15) Chris Small — digital editing Mike Stankiewicz — digital editing Manny Marroquin — mixing Nathan Dantzler — mastering Mike Griffith — production coordinator
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2021) Peak position
Year-end charts Chart (2022) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 48
References