Sara Jean Kelley - Black Snake (2021)

Born and raised by renowned bluegrass songwriter Irene Kelley, it is perhaps of little surprise Sara Jean Kelley has a penchant for writing songs too. Based in Nashville, she works within the folk/bluegrass tradition but is not restrained by it, leading to a sound rooted in history yet distinctively new too. Something which very much comes from Kelley’s varied character, which she describes as “an explorer, a rescuer, naturalist, and an active member of her creative community.” Indeed, her first EP The Wild emerged from her time studying evolution biology, centering on the natural world to live up to its title and explore one’s interconnection with the surrounding environment.