The long awaited collection of songs from Jaelee Roberts, Let Me Be Lonely is on its way.
Building on the success of her debut, Something You Didn’t Count On, and a long string of singles, it’s a set that reveals a young artist confident in her expressive abilities, eager to embrace both tradition and innovation, and already taking her place among the music’s most beloved talents.
This album is so exciting to me for so many reasons – Jaelee Roberts.
Roberts notes of the project’s producer and bassist, whose lengthy resume includes hundreds of studio recording credits as well as touring stints with Sam Bush, Nickel Creek, Robert Plant’s Band of Joy and Christian singer/songwriter Sandra McCracken. “He truly brought my vision to life, and I’m beyond thankful for his role in shaping this project.”
Getting to work with the incredible Byron House was an unforgettable experience. We stepped outside the box in a few spots, and I think that’s what makes this album special. At its heart, it’s a bluegrass record, but it’s flavored with classic country and even a little old-time rock & roll – Jaelee Roberts.
Let Me Be Lonely, now available for pre-save/add ahead of its August 29 release.
Roberts’ comment (above) is a reference to the album’s first single, a rockin’ yet acoustic version of the 1972 Stealer’s Wheel hit, Stuck In The Middle With You, but subsequent singles have revealed its bluegrass foundation, with, among others, a nod to the 1980s in Looking For Yourself; the classic bluegrass gospel sound of He’s Gone, which features guest vocals from Ricky Skaggs and The Whites; and her original, Love Gone Missing, which moves easily from its opening folk vibe into a driving ‘grass beat.
Country sounds and influences also get their due in the moody Cry In The Rain and the classic-sounding title track, while still other songs stand out for the way in which they defy easy categorization, like the melancholy Love Ain’t Supposed To Hurt, from the pen of bluegrass-turned-country singer/songwriter, Harley Allen, or the subdued, tenderly emotional Tim Stafford-Steve Gulley co-write, Heavy As A Stone In Her Heart.
As a songwriter myself, it’s deeply important to me to honour the craft and the people behind the music. I’m so thankful to the writers who poured their hearts into the songs I’ve recorded for this album. Whether it’s a song I wrote or one I was honoured to cut, each track holds something special. I’m incredibly grateful for the voices and stories that helped shape them – Jaelee Roberts.
In the same vein, she enthuses about the musicians whom she and House invited into the studio: IBMA Guitar Player of the Year Cody Kilby; banjo and guitar player Ron Block (Alison Krauss & Union Station); Andy Leftwich (mandolin, mandola, fiddle); fiddler Stuart Duncan; five-time IBMA Resophonic Player of the Year Justin Moses; percussionist John Gardner, and pedal steel legend Russ Pahl.
I’m beyond blessed to have such an amazing lineup of musicians on this album. The list of harmony singers, too, is stellar, including newgrass master John Cowan; the Sam Bush Band’s Stephen Mougin; longtime friends Grayson Lane and Kelsi Harrigill, and songwriter Wyatt McCubbin. These are artists I’ve admired for years, and it means the world that they lent their voices to this project. This record includes a mix of originals and covers — songs that speak to my heart. I truly hope you enjoy listening as much as I loved creating it – Jaelee Roberts.
About Jaelee Roberts:
Jaelee Roberts
Though she’s in her early 20s, Music City native and reigning IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year Jaelee Roberts, is already more than a little familiar with, and to the music industry. Born to veteran music professionals, she grew up backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and in the middle of rehearsals, business meetings and recording sessions, along with plenty of festivals and concerts.
Roberts got her start singing in church at a very early age and began her journey as an instrumentalist at age 4 with fiddle lessons; since then, she has added guitar, mandolin and piano to her musical arsenal. Jaelee participated in and won numerous music and dance competitions, but as she began her teen years, she found herself drawn more to performance than competition.
Soon, she was attracting attention for her rich voice and interpretative ability, recording not only with her father, the Grascals’ Danny Roberts, but with the Tom T. and Dixie Hall-backed Daughters of Bluegrass. By the time she finished high school, she’d been chosen in two consecutive years as a vocal track participant in the industry-leading Grammy Camp.
Jaelee was an official Bluegrass Ramble Showcase artist at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass in 2019 as well as being a 2020 IBMA Songwriter Showcase artist. In 2021, Jaelee signed with Mountain Home Music Company, was invited to join the multi-award winning, all-female supergroup Sister Sadie on guitar and vocals and received the IBMA Momentum Vocalist of the Year and IBMA Vocal Group of the Year awards.
By 2022, she had released her debut full-length album Something You Didn’t Count On which became an immediate commercial and critical success. The album debuted in the Top Ten on the Billboard Bluegrass Album chart and peaked at #2 on the Bluegrass Unlimited album chart. The album won the 2023 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) Album of the Year award, and Jaelee was also named Female Vocalist of the Year. In September of 2023, Jaelee made her solo debut at the Grand Ole Opry.
