Another stellar track. Since breaking out last summer upon the release of his debut single, “After Me?,” Kashus Culpepper has been one of the hottest young stars in the alt. country scene. Mixing in a beautiful blend of country, blues and soul, the Navy veteran has already flexed his versatility, collaborating with the likes of Marcus King on the rockin’ “Southern Man,” Chase Rice on his track from ELDORA, “Tall Grass,” and 4x Grammy-winner, Sierra Ferrell on the tender, Willie Nelson-inspired “Broken Wing Bird” back in June. And, of course, he’s backed that up with a plethora of stellar solo releases over the past year, including the likes of “Who Hurt You,” “Jenni” and his cover of Tom Jones’ “Sexbomb” for the soundtrack of the Netflix film, The Wrong Paris. After getting nods to open for the likes of Whiskey Myers, 49 Winchester and Charles Wesley Godwin during the summer, as well as Darius Rucker throughout his recent Canadian tour, the Alabama native has caught the eye of both alternative and mainstream stars in the adolescence of his career thus far. Recently signing to Big Loud Records and joining the likes of the aforementioned Godwin, Morgan Wallen, Gavin Adcock, Dylan Gossett, ERNEST and more, it feels as if the “Jenni” singer is on the verge of breaking out in a big way. And it looks like that day may be coming incredibly soon. After releasing his most recent single, “Mean to Me,” back on October 24th, Culpepper turned heads by announcing that his highly-anticipated debut album, Act I, will be releasing on Friday, January 23rd, featuring 18 tracks such as the aforementioned collaborations with Ferrell and King, “Broken Wing Bird” and “Southern Man” as well as “After Me?” View this post on Instagram Discussing the album in his Instagram caption, Culpepper noted that Act I has a little bit of everything in it, focusing on the wide range of emotions captured throughout. He’d also hope that listeners find a piece of themselves in the record. “This record has so many emotions in it. Love. Heartbreak. Joy. Anger. Hope. Everything that makes us human. It’s been a journey creating these songs. At times it even feels like a movie, looking back on the moments that shaped it.  Lord knows I’m grateful for every moment. I hope you can find a piece of yourself in these songs, and in this album.” With just over two months until the album officially releases, the Alabama native is back once again with another preview of the project. This time, it comes in the form of another brand new single, “In Her Eyes.” View this post on Instagram Judging by the song’s title, you’d expect Culpepper to deliver a sweet, simple love song that, in all likelihood, probably features the cliché line, “I found God in her eyes,” or something of that nature. Thankfully, Culpepper, along with co-writers, Oscar Charles and the legendary Brent Cobb, completely subvert listeners’ expectations here on “In Her Eyes.” At its core, “In Her Eyes” is all about finding out that a lover isn’t the right person for you. After setting the scene beautifully in the verse, remarking that the woman’s hair “shined like sin” which ultimately reflected the same color as her soul, Culpepper grapples with the fact that he’s desperate to find redemption in the sultry chorus. “Ain’t it just like me to wanna believe paradise road runs one way Hell straight to the top where it’s cold it ain’t hot Don’t get lost you get saved Yeah 1, 2, 3 if I know me, I’ma free fall for all those lies Ain’t it just like me to wanna believe  I don’t see you, devil, in her eyes” Not to be outdone in the chorus, the back half of “In Her Eyes” evolves into a much heavier-sounding track, hitting its crescendo in the outro. Backed by a phenomenal guitar solo from Brian Elmquist, Culpepper wails that there’s “blood on the dance floor” as the song reaches its final peak. Ultimately, “In Her Eyes” is yet another homerun from Culpepper. If there’s one thing that’s certain about his discography, you’re not going to hear the same song twice. That’s accomplished once again here with a surprisingly rockin’ outing. Given both the quality and diversity of all the pre-released tracks, Act I is shaping out to be one of the most exciting album releases heading into 2026. I can confidently say that you will not want to miss this one when it releases on January 23rd. Act I Tracklist “Intro” “Southern Man” feat. Marcus King “Alabama Beauty Queen” “Woman” “Break Like Me” “Believe” “Stay” “Mean To Me” “Broken Wing Bird” w/ Sierra Fierra “Better Weather” “That’s The Feeling” “Man Of His Word” “In Her Eyes” “Is It True” “After Me?” “Out Of My Mind” “House On A Hill” “Cherry Rose” “In Her Eyes” The post Kashus Culpepper Previews Upcoming Debut Album, ‘Act I,’ With Stellar New Track, “In Her Eyes” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.