Joan Shelley

Based out of Louisville, Kentucky, singer/songwriter Joan Shelley has a warm and mellifluous voice that evokes both the Deep South and the West Coast, drawing from both old-time country and '60s folk. Composing melodies that are often quiet but full of drama and emotional shadings, Shelley's music had a dark and bittersweet quality on her early solo material such as 2012's Ginko, despite the primarily acoustic arrangements. As her work matured, she dug deeper into acoustic sounds, and a sweetly sad tone informed albums like 2015's Over and Even and 2019's Like the River Loves the Sea, while 2022's The Spur was an emotionally powerful set informed by her thoughts about prospective motherhood.