Five up-and-coming, Kentucky-born musicians to watch out for in 2021
From the horse farms surrounding Lexington to the hollers and coal fields of Eastern Kentucky and beyond, supreme musical talent can be found all across the Commonwealth.
And although the COVID-19 pandemic has most all of them sidelined from performing live, many are continuing to put out new music that is drawing critical acclaim and is more than worthy of being included in your quarantine playlists.
From sassy country soul to Appalachian folk/rock and blistering bluegrass, here are five Kentucky-born musicians/bands on the rise that you should have on your radar in 2021.
Brit Taylor
Born in Pikeville and now residing on a small farm outside Nashville, 31-year-old Brit Taylor has seen an outpouring of critical acclaim from the likes of American Songwriter, Paste Magazine and CMT, for her solo debut “Real Me” via her own Cut a Shine record label.
The 10-song effort produced by Dave Brainard (Jamey Johnson, Brandy Clark), with an assist from The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, sees Taylor’s warble navigate a plethora of country-fied stylings including blues, old-timey waltzes, honky tonky sing-a-longs and Western swing all with an effortless allure that will leave you wanting more.
Fortunately for fans, the former childhood star of the Kentucky Opry says more new music is on the way, with plans to get back into the studio to record beginning Feb. 2.
Hancock & Shouse
All former members of other highly regarded Kentucky bluegrass groups are the five musical juggernauts comprising Hancock & Shouse. The one-time duo started in late 2019 by guitarist Arthur Hancock (The Wooks) and mandolinist Chris Shouse (The 23 String Band) is in search of a new name after recent additions of fiddler Kati Penn (NewTown), bassist Roddy Puckett (The Wooks) and Aaron Bibelhauser (Relic, The Wooks).
The group has plans to record a handful of songs Jan. 16 to release as one-off singles throughout 2021. The songs will be recorded at Rick’s Main Street Studio in Clay City with Rickey Wasson, a former guitarist for J.D. Crowe & The New South turned producer who recorded 2018’s “Glory Bound,” the most recent album for The Wooks that featured both Hancock and Puckett.
A modern day Kentucky bluegrass supergroup of sorts, the band delves both into both the traditional and progressive worlds of the genre with blistering instrumentals, thickly layered harmonies and extended jams that illustrate each member’s individual prowess.
Jordan Allen & The Bellwethers
Hailing from London is Appalachian folk/rock songsmith Jordan Allen & The Bellwethers, an artist possessing a voice at the crossroads of Prestonsburg native Nicholas Jamerson (Sundy Best) and renowned Georgia singer-songwriter Brent Cobb.
Allen released the sublime and heartfelt album “Give My Love To Jenny” on Nov. 20, 2020, which received praise from the likes of Saving Country Music and Kentucky Sports Radio, the latter named the album among the best from Kentucky artists that you may have missed in 2020.
The 12-song album, which doesn’t reference a past lover with it’s title but rather the artist’s affinity for his hometown Jenny Wiley State Park, showcases both Allen’s rangy vocals and the tight groove developed by The Bellwethers from playing together since May 2013.
Aside from touring in support of the album, Allen plans to record some stripped down songs later this year at the Mountain Arts Center for their “Single Mic Sessions” along with a couple of singles that will be reimaginings of work by Jerry Marcum, a founding member in the 1960s of London/Corbin based band Jerry and the Dekades.
Senora May
Estill County’s Senora May kicked off the new year with the surprising release of “Naturally,” the first single from her forthcoming sophomore album “All Of My Love” due out Feb. 14. The song is currently only available by pre-ordering the album through BandCamp.
The artist recruited a predominantly female cast of musicians to record the project with her including cellist Cecilia Wright (Bear Medicine), fiddler Chloe Edmonstone (Locust Honey), upright bassist Sarah Benn (Shivering Timbers) and others yet to be revealed. Other performers on the eight-pack of sweet and savory love songs include trumpeter Thomas Jude, trombonist Chase Fleming (Joslyn & The Sweet Compression) and Kenny and Hayden Miles (the brotherly duo behind Whitesburg alt-country group Wayne Graham) on bass guitar and drums, respectively. The album was also recorded at Kenny’s own Fat Baby Studios.
The studio near the Kentucky-Virginia border is also where Senora May recorded her debut project, 2018’s “Lainhart,” which was covered by both No Depression and Rolling Stone, who named her one of their “10 New Country Artists You Need To Know” for November 2018.
Sydney Adams
Corbin’s budding honky tonk hero Sydney Adams has shown no signs of slowing down when it comes to creating during the pandemic. She’s turning her focus to writing new music and collaborating with other area artists in lieu of only performing a dozen or so shows since last March across Kentucky.
Following the December 2020 release of “A Very Austin City Christmas” that featured a dynamite recording of Adams covering Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas,” the artist already has more tunes on deck. She recently spent time recording at Gem City Studios in Jellico, Tenn. with Matt McQueen (who’s produced all of Adams’ past work) and plans to drop her first single from the project, “It Never Was,” on Jan. 22 ahead of a new EP by summer’s end.
Prior to the touring halt, Adams had been performing constantly throughout the region in support of her July 2019 debut “Always Home To Me” that received positive coverage from Americana Highways, Pro Country and Kentucky Country Music. The project includes songs that she, now 24, wrote as young as 16-years-old, which illustrate a maturity and wisdom well beyond her youth that results in vivid and heartfelt stories reflecting on the Eastern Kentucky experience.
This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 6:00 AM.