Sara Jean Kelley Announces Release of 'Black Snake' EP

Singer, songstress and guitarist Sara Jean Kelley explores existential emotions related to life, death, transformation, rebirth, strength, and resilience on her sophomore EP Black Snake with its release on November 19th.

Recorded in two days, the album's six originals feature Kelley's ethereal vocals, twangy and confident guitar with questioning yet observational lyrics. The EP was produced by Kyle Dreaden and it will be celebrated with a live performance on November 20th at State Gallery in Nashville.

"Everything about this EP was intentional," says the songwriter. "From the order of the songs, to the release strategy, to every sound and instrument. We approached every moment and every sound with thoughtfulness and excitement. My producer and I had conversation after conversation about who Snake is and how she would make her way through each song and what that will sound and feel like. In as much as we thought about each sound and song individually, we thought about the project as a whole and how each moment would lead to the next and each song would connect to the previous and the next."

The gentle but ominous title track, "Black Snake" pays tribute to the idea that "in our lowest places we ignore the most essential truths," says the Kelley. "We live in survival mode and grasp for the things that seem tangible and attainable. That's when the Snake visits us. That's when we need her the most. She emerges from the shadows, gentle and unassuming. We ignore her. She taps on our windows and slithers through our halls. She grows impatient and persistent. Eventually she is wrapping herself around our throats and tightens her hold, tighter and tighter. We must listen to her, or we die. This is the mission of the Black Snake. She is fate. She is inevitability. She is growth. She is creativity. She is pure potential. She is life."

A river beneath a river with an edgy sense of humor, Sara Jean Kelley is an explorer, a rescuer, naturalist, and an active member of her creative community. Born and raised by the venerable bluegrass songwriter, Irene Kelley, Sara loves wild plants and animals and music and people and has the scars and stories to prove it. Sara's songs are conceptual, yet relatable. Her voice is timeless, yet singularly her own. And her delivery can shift, like the weather, from dark and sultry, to light-as-a-feather.

A triple Scorpio, she has been compared to Brandi Carlile, Patty Griffin, and Lucinda Williams, and has already shared the stage with legends such as Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell. Sara studied evolutionary biology in Durango, Colorado and her first EP, The Wild explored her connection with the earth, and the soil; the relationship she has with and honor she holds for the natural world.

Watch the music video for the title track here:

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