A lot of country music fans have been waiting for this one for quite some time. JR Carroll may not be a household name just yet, but over the past few years, through the release of singles and EP's that have resonated with his listeners to a great degree, he's earned a fervent and rapidly growing fan base that has been waiting patiently for this day. And four and a half years after the release of his first single, the wait for a full project is finally over. Carroll's debut album hit streaming platforms today, and with his powerful vocals, thoughtful lyricism, and emotion-evoking song content on full display, it's safe to say it was well worth the wait. Named after his Oklahoma hometown of Oologah, which translates to "dark cloud" in Cherokee, Carroll's debut record Dark Cloud is a cohesive collection of 10 deftly penned tracks with thought-provoking lyricism that weave seamlessly through stories of his experiences and relationships in Oklahoma and as an up and coming musician. Yesterday, prior to the album's release, Carroll took to Instagram to share some context behind the album and give insight into his thoughts leading up to the big day. Check out what he had to say below: 'I'm having a hard time expressing how I'm feeling today. We're wrapping up the final leg of the tour in the next few weeks, I'm finalizing the routing of my first headlining tour, and my debut album comes out tonight at midnight. Grateful doesn't even scratch the surface. First and foremost, I couldn't have done any of this without my sweet wife supporting and loving me all the way through it. Knowing I get to come home to her is what has gotten me through some very long nights and hard days, and all the happy moments in this album were inspired by Felly. She is my rock and I am the most blessed man alive to call her mine. Second I couldn't have done this without my band. I'll tag all of them at some point tomorrow and tell you who played what, but for now I'll just say that there's not another group of musicians and people who I would trust more with helping me tell my story and play my songs. I love you all more than I could ever say. Third, my team, which is basically Jim and Kanan, thank you both for listening to me rant and trusting me to do this my way, and believing in the vision I have for this project. To the moon fellas. Last, but certainly no least, thank you to everyone who has listened and supported and come out to shows over the past few years. I've been blessed enough to not have to rush to follow every trend, or chase every viral moment, and that's in large part due to every single one of you who was patient enough to stick around who was patient enough to stick around while I tried to get better and make something that was worth hearing. I hope very much that y'all enjoy listening to this record as much as my friends and I enjoyed making it for you. Thank you thank you thank you a million times over." https://www.instagram.com/p/DDNrpmIvdyG/ I could keep going on and on about why I think JR Carroll and this album are so great, but the real proof is in the music. Without further ado, here's a few early favorites from Carroll's debut record Dark Cloud. "Never Knew Your Name" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kJZxPNjuNw "Too Late To Change It Now" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKRk9871zPM "How To Be Okay" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWEN0VEvcUg "In the Shadow" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIVQqoIKasA If you ask me, JR Carroll's Dark Cloud is the best debut record of 2024, and I am so glad the world can finally take it for a spin. As he mentioned in the Instagram post, he's got his first headlining tour in the works for 2025, so be on the lookout for those dates to drop. And in the meantime, keep on listening to his brand new album.