Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going

Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going
Studio album by Shaboozey
Released	May 31, 2024 (2024-05-31)
Genre	Country hip hop Americana
Length	37:52
Label	American Dogwood Empire
Producer	John Mark Nelson Mason Sacks Dave Cohen McKay Stevens
Shaboozey chronology
Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die (2022) Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going (2024)
Singles from Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going
"Let It Burn" Released: October 6, 2023 "Anabelle" Released: January 26, 2024 "Vegas" Released: March 15, 2024 "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" Released: April 12, 2024 "Highway" Released: October 28, 2024

Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going is the third studio album by American musician Shaboozey, released on May 31, 2024, through American Dogwood and Empire Distribution. It was preceded by the US number one single "A Bar Song (Tipsy)",^[1] and includes collaborations with Paul Cauthen, Noah Cyrus and BigXthaPlug. The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Holler	9/10[3]
Pitchfork	7.7/10[4]

Grayson Haver Currin of Pitchfork wrote that the album "does not feel like a mere receptacle for one of the year's most unlikely hits", calling it "remarkably assured" and "a sophisticated self-help journey that only occasionally masquerades as a good time. He has spent a long while trying to find some space where the sounds of hip-hop and country could overlap, where the defiant swagger, nostalgic circumspection, and quivering heartbreak of both genres could fuse together".^[4] David Browne of Rolling Stone felt that Shaboozey "comes across like someone raised on country who also appreciates hip hop. In doing so, he's effectively changed the game", describing it as "a full-on barrage of post-genre possibilities".^[5]

Billboard's Kyle Denis commented that "at a tight 12 tracks, there's no real filler on Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going. Shaboozey assembled his strongest hooks and smartest arrangements to craft a record that embraces both country music tradition and modernity".^[1] A staff review from Taste of Country opined that the album "deals with subjects such as heartbreak, depression and even suicide. While the project does feature some more light-hearted tracks, Shaboozey chooses to let us all in on his journey of authenticity and humility."^[6] Holler's Soda Canter said that "Shaboozey oozes with ignitable star power as he expertly mixes his hip hop, country and Americana musical influences along with his past experience as a filmmaker", calling it a "creatively diverse cocktail".^[3]

Chart performance

Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 and at number two on the US Top Country Albums chart week dated June 15, 2024, earning 50,000 album-equivalent units.^[7][8]

Track listing

Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Horses & Hellcats"	Collins Chibueze Dave Cohen Gowa Gibbs Sean Cook Nevin Sastry	Cohen Sastry Cook	2:37
2.	"A Bar Song (Tipsy)"	Chibueze Cook Jerrell Jones Joe Kent Sastry Mark Williams	Sastry Cook	2:51
3.	"Last of My Kind" (featuring Paul Cauthen)	Chibueze Paul Cauthen Cook McKay Stevens	Stevens Sastry Cook	3:21
4.	"Anabelle"	Chibueze Cook Mason Sacks Sastry	Sacks Sastry Cook	3:06
5.	"East of the Massanutten"	Chibueze Cook John Mark Nelson Sastry Stevens	Nelson Stevens Cook	3:57
6.	"Highway"	Chibueze Cook Stevens	Stevens Cook	2:42
7.	"Let It Burn"	Chibueze Cook Sastry Diederik Van Elsas Parrish Warrington	Sastry Cook	3:26
8.	"My Fault" (featuring Noah Cyrus)	Chibueze Bailey Bryan Cook Noah Cyrus PJ Harding Sastry Doug Walters	Sastry Cook	3:56
9.	"Vegas"	Chibueze Sastry	Sastry	3:01
10.	"Drink Don't Need No Mix" (featuring BigXthaPlug)	Chibueze Cook Xavier Landum Sastry Stevens	Stevens Sastry Cook	2:13
11.	"Steal Her from Me"	Chibueze Ben Burgess Cohen Cook Sastry	Cohen Sastry Cook	3:33
12.	"Finally Over"	Chibueze Cook Tony Esterly Sastry	Sastry Cook	3:09
Total length:				37:52

Personnel

• Shaboozey – vocals
• Colin Leonard – mastering (tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 8–12)
• Dave Huffman – mastering (track 4)
• Chris Athens – mastering (track 7)
• Raul Lopez – mixing (tracks 1–8, 10–12)
• Ryan Dulude – mixing (track 9)
• Skyler Gibbons – engineering
• Stef Moro – engineering (track 4)
• Sean Cook – recording (tracks 1–3, 5–8, 10–12); acoustic guitar, electric guitar (2)
• Nevin Sastry – recording (tracks 4, 9)
• Trey Pearce – recording (track 8)
• Lily Honigberg – fiddle (tracks 2, 12)

Charts

Chart performance for Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9]	76
Australian Country Albums (ARIA)[10]	13
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[11]	4
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[12]	34
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[13]	10
Scottish Albums (OCC)[14]	77
UK Albums Sales (OCC)[15]	22
UK Country Albums (OCC)[16]	2
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[17]	7
US Billboard 200[18]	5
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[19]	1
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[20]	1
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[8]	2

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[21]	Gold	500,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

Year-end lists

Publication	Rank	List
Rolling Stone	24	The 30 Best Country Albums of 2024[22]
Taste of Country	2	The 10 Best Country Albums of 2024[23]

References

1. Denis, Kyle (June 4, 2024). "Shaboozey Subverts Westward Expansion Trope on Terrific Third LP, Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going (Critic's Take)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
2. Monger, Timothy. "Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going – Shaboozey". AllMusic. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
3. Canter, Soda (June 1, 2024). "Shaboozey – Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going". Holler. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
4. Haver Currin, Grayson (June 5, 2024). "Shaboozey: Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
5. Browne, David (June 1, 2024). "Shaboozey is Honoring Country Tradition and Moving It Forward". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
6. Jess (May 31, 2024). "Shaboozey's Album Is So Much Deeper Than Just Getting 'Tipsy'". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
7. "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
8. "Shaboozey Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
9. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 10 June 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1788. Australian Recording Industry Association. June 10, 2024. p. 6.
10. "ARIA Top 40 Country Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
11. "Shaboozey Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
12. "Shaboozey: Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
13. "Album 2024 uke 23". VG-lista. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
14. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
15. "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
16. "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
17. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
18. Caulfield, Keith (June 9, 2024). "Taylor Swift Scores Seventh Straight Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 With The Tortured Poets Department". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
19. "Shaboozey Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
20. "Shaboozey Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
21. "American album certifications – Shaboozey – Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
22. "Best Country Albums of 2024". Rolling Stone. December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
23. Carena Liptak (December 4, 2024). "The 10 Best Country Albums of 2024". Taste of Country. Retrieved December 12, 2024.