The powerful gospel soaked “Hold Me My Lord,” will be released on Friday, April 2.
Today, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Josh Kelley announces the release of his new acoustic album Unplugged from Upstream Studios on Friday, April 23. It features 11 deeply personal and reimagined songs from Kelley's overall body of work, that weave introspective lyrics together with stripped down instruments to explore the evolution of family, love, faith, growth and friendship. Kelley produced each track on the album himself, including each instrument, while quarantined at his home "Upstream Studios" during the pandemic.
The powerful gospel soaked "Hold Me My Lord," will be released on Friday, April 2 ahead of Easter weekend. Co-produced by Grammy, Dove and Emmy award winner Shannon Sanders and rounded out with a 30-member choir, the stunning track is sonically different than anything Kelley has written or released.
Kelley will also launch a 14-date acoustic tour in Fall 2021 across the United States, kicking off in Nashville and ending in Seattle. Dates are re-scheduled as a result of COVID, and this upcoming tour is among the first post-pandemic artist tour announcements for 2021. Country vocalist, songwriter and CMT's "Next Women of Country" Class of 2021 inductee Harper Grae joins as the opening act. Visit JoshKelley.com for ticket info.
"This collection of songs are ones that I regularly play during my live set," Kelley says. "When I sat down to create this unplugged album in my home studio, I knew that all of these songs had to make the cut. I wanted to create something that hopefully can give my fans some of these stripped back crowd favorites, until we can get back out on the road in the Fall of 2021."
Unplugged comes right on the heels of Kelley's last studio album My Baby & The Band, which was released in November 2020. The central line running through My Baby and the Band is the contentment he's found in his life with his wife and three kids. It's wrapped in sonic packaging that's true to who Kelley is, clear in its reverence for a great voice and song but unafraid to experiment with new textures surrounding it. These themes extend on to Unplugged, which features 5 acoustic tracks from My Baby and the Band.
October 7: Nashville, TN City Winery
October 8th: Atlanta, GA City Winery
October 13: Cincinnati, OH Ludlow Garage
October 14: Chicago, IL City Winery
October 15: Indianapolis, IN LO-FI Lounge
October 23: Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
October 29: Denver, CO Globe Hall
November 2: Washington, DC City Winery Loft
November 3: Philadelphia, PA City Winery
November 5: New York City, NY City Winery Loft
November 6: Boston, MA City Winery / Haymarket
November 17: San Francisco, CA The Independent
November 18: Los Angeles, CA The Hotel Cafe
November 20: Seattle, WA Barboza
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