Pelago (album)

Pelago is the debut studio album by American country music artist Ryan Hurd. It was released on October 15, 2021, via Sony Music 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 Country Airplay, giving Hurd his first top 5 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.

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