Mountain Home Music has a single this week for their new bluegrass “it girl,” Jaelee Roberts, whose music career is exploding before she reaches her 20th birthday. Still in college in Tenessee, Jaelee is already seeing her solo projects achieve critical and consumer success, and was recently named as the new guitarist and vocalist with IBMA superstars, Sister Sadie.
They have chosen a new bluegrass Gospel number, Still Waters, sung in waltz time, and written by Kelsi Harrigill who also provides harmony vocals along with her husband, Paul. Taken from one of the most popular of the Psalms, #23, it tells of how the Lord provides all that is good for those who follow his commandments.
Roberts says that she knew she wanted to include a song like this on her album, and knew right where to go to get one.
“When I started gathering songs to record I knew I wanted to include Gospel songs, of course. Immediately I reached out to Kelsi Robertson Harrigill to see if she had written anything she could send me. Kelsi is an amazing songwriter and especially of Gospel songs — In The Heat of the Fire, In The Morning, Draw Me Near, Happy ‘Til He Comes, Just Any Moment recorded by Flatt Lonesome, and There Is You by The Grascals — so I was very excited when she said she had something for me! As soon as I listened to the demo of Still Waters I knew I had to record it; the lyrics, the melody, the tempo — it all spoke to me right away. I’ve grown up singing in church and Gospel music is very special to me, and the words to this are especially comforting: ‘He takes my hand and leads me beside Still Waters.'”
If you miss the music of Flatt Lonesome, this track is very reminiscent of that sound, while providing a wondrous vehicle for Jaelee to display her vocal brilliance.
Still Waters will be available on Friday, March 26 wherever you stream or download music online. Radio programmers can find it now at AirPlay Direct.
