Not just anyone can sign onto John Prine’s record label, especially considering that Oh Boy Records hasn’t welcomed a new artist in 15 years! And if Kelsey Waldon was good enough for Prine himself to have signed her, then that’s even more of an incentive to listen to her music. “It’s hard for me to put into words what it truly means to be signed to Oh Boy Records. To have someone like John, who I have looked up to my whole life, who I have set my songwriting standards after and my general music making standards after, to have someone like him endorse my music and care enough about it to make sure it reaches a wider audience…that means everything”. The singer in her thirties is from Monkey’s Eyebrow (a rural community in Ballard county, Kentucky) but has now settled in Nashville. When whe was younger she listened to Patty Loveless, Keith Whitley, Ricky Skaggs, Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline, before moving on to Dylan (The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan is her favourite), as well as Tom Petty and Neil Young.
Bluegrass came next, followed by classic rock by Pink Floyd, The Band and Led Zeppelin. Then along came soul and rhythm ‘n’ blues with The Meters, Ann Peebles and Bill Withers. When it comes to her own music, Kelsey Waldon is fast becoming the contemporary queen of traditional country music with her superb voice that exudes the ‘60s and her fabulous storytelling. There really is nothing missing from this album: there is a banjo dotted here and there, an abundance of pedal steel guitar, a Telecaster and even chants from the Chickasaw tribe. There are stories of heartbreak, addiction, distant memories and the great outdoors in an album that still manages to stay current even though it is rooted in tradition. An absolute delight for lovers of real country music. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz