Women of Kelley – photo © Stacie Huckeba
Veteran bluegrass singer, songwriter, and chart topper Irene Kelley offers a first look today at her latest endeavor, Women of Kelley, where Irene is teamed up with her two daughters, Justyna and Sara Jean, with their debut single, Lining Track.
What sets this effort apart from Irene’s previous efforts are that all three Kelley women sing, alternating between lead and harmony vocals on this track, which was written by the three of them with their Grammy-winning producer and songwriter, Shannon Sanders.
It’s an aggressive and assertive take on contemporary bluegrass, with all the requisite instrumental components, topped with a trio of strong female voices out front.
For Irene, it closes a career circle, which started with the talented songwriter moving to Nashville and signing with MCA in 1984, but insisting on using bluegrass artists like Sam Bush, Carl Jackson, and Mark O’Connor as a backing band. This was to be a country album, at a time when a return to traditional country and acoustic instruments was bringing hits to Ricky Skaggs and others. She ultimately stepped away to care for her two then young daughters, while continuing to write songs that were recorded by the likes of Alan Jackson, Little Big Town, and Loretta Lynn. But with Justyna and Sara Jean now young adults, and accomplished performers and writers themselves, it seemed a perfect time for, well… Women of Kelley.
Lining Track, while having a modern sound, tells a story of the historic railroad pioneers, the men who cut through the Appalachian mountains to lay tracks that would eventually connect up the whole country.
Have a listen, and have fun trying to pick out one Kelley from the other!
Lining Track is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
