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Country music singer/songwriter Brit Taylor is returning to the sounds of her heart and home with the release of her newest single “Saint Anthony” and her upcoming bluegrass album, Kentucky Bluegrassed, slated for release on February 2. On the heels of a breakout 2023 with the release of her Sturgill Simpson-produced album Kentucky Blue and her Grand Ole Opry debut, Taylor’s new project will be available on the one year anniversary of the critically accalimed project. Taylor is celebrating the release with live release shows on February 8 at the iconic Station Inn in Nashville and February 10 at The Burl in Lexington, KY.
The eight-song album – featuring three original tunes and five songs reimagined from Kentucky Blue – pays homage to the sounds Taylor grew up hearing and creates a unique blend of traditionally based country music with a modern bluegrass twist.
“I always knew that, at some point in my career, I’d make a bluegrass album,” Taylor said. “I grew up in the East Kentucky hills surrounded by incredible pickers and listening to bluegrass with my Papaw Hillard. He had an old 8-track player. Honestly, I was probably listening to bluegrass before I ever heard any other country song. Papaw introduced me to Patty Loveless and Ricky Skaggs, and that’s probably when I found country music.”
“Saint Anthony,” one of the original songs from the new album, is classic bluegrass. Penned with Adam Wright, it is the story of a man who sailed away on whiskey wings and a strong-minded woman determined to find him with a heartfelt plea to Saint Anthony, the patron saint of the lost and found. Set to traditional, yet modern-style, acoustic string band music blending with Taylor’s poignant voice and desperation fueled by anger, it is everyday living in a song that captures regret yet carries an uplifting energy as only classic bluegrass can do.
“I love this song,” Taylor said. “I learned about Saint Anthony one day when I was hunting for a lost belt, and a good friend told me to ask to Saint Anthony to help me find it. So I did. I found the belt almost immediately. A couple days later, I started singing ‘St. Anthony, won’t you help me find my keys’. Not only did I find the keys, I started thinking about what a cool song it could be, especially about a man who has run off and his wife asking St. Anthony for help. It reminded me of my grandparents’ courtship and love story – my Pawpaw Hillard was a bit wild in his drinking days and my Mamaw was always hunting him down.”
To produce her inaugural bluegrass album, Taylor turned to her talented musician husband, Adam Chaffins.
“He knows bluegrass better than anybody, and he knows my voice better than anyone else,” says Taylor on Chaffins producing. “He hears me singing in bars, clubs, theaters, studios, the car, the kitchen and the shower.”
Kentucky Bluegrassed is a dream come true for Taylor after successfully releasing two traditionally based country music albums. She admits, however, that when writing songs, she often hears the sounds of Appalachian acoustic music in her head first.
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