June 7, 2024 — Following her lively cover of the 70’s Stealers Wheel classic, “Stuck in the Middle With You,” Jaelee Roberts’ new Mountain Home Music Company single finds the young singer working closer to home in more ways than one. Masterfully produced by legendary bassist Byron House, “Georgia Rain”frames her powerful yet nuanced voice with the work of some of Nashville’s finest pickers to deliver a distinctive, nothing-but-’grass original.
“I wrote ‘Georgia Rain’ after experiencing my first breakup/heartbreak when I was 16 years old,” says Roberts. “Interestingly enough, I had the melody come to me first and then the lyrics — which isn’t the normal songwriting process for me. I really do love this melody and the little twist in the chord structure!”
After the gentle restraint of the song’s opening, which features delicate mandolin and guitar figures from Andy Leftwich and Cody Kilby (Travelin’ McCourys) before they’re joined by banjoist Ron Block (Alison Krauss & Union Station), top-shelf fiddler Stuart Duncan and House himself on bass, that “little twist” is sure to catch a listener’s ear each time it rolls around in the song’s chorus, where Roberts and harmony vocalist Stephen Mougin (Sam Bush Band) offer terse counterpoints to the luxuriously long lines of the verses:
Had that dream again last night, the one where you’d come runnin’ back to me
I know that I should be afraid to know you’re here, but you’re only here so you can set me free
The breeze is blowin on my face, the storms get really bad this time of year,
Reminding me of when you left me on a day where the skies, they were oh so clear
Georgia rain is falling down,
All the memories of you are drowned out now
“If you know me or have followed my musical journey so far, you know that I absolutely love a good ole heartbreak song,” adds Roberts. “And having rain be part of the scenario makes a heartbreak song even more lonesome and sad! When I wrote ‘Georgia Rain’ it really came to me like a movie and the words are really visual. I hope that y’all will be able to hear it and see it along with me when you listen!”
“Georgia Rain” is streaming in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL. Listen to it HERE.
About Jaelee Roberts
Though she’s in her early 20s, Music City native Jaelee Roberts, is already more than a little familiar with — and to — the music industry. Born to veteran music professionals, she grew up backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and in the middle of rehearsals, business meetings and recording sessions, along with plenty of festivals and concerts. Roberts got her start singing in church at a very early age and began her journey as an instrumentalist at age 4 with fiddle lessons; since then, she has added guitar, mandolin and piano to her musical arsenal. Jaelee participated in and won numerous music and dance competitions, but as she began her teen years, she found herself drawn more to performance than competition. Soon, she was attracting attention for her rich voice and interpretative ability, recording not only with her father, the Grascals’ Danny Roberts, but with the Tom T. and Dixie Hall-backed Daughters of Bluegrass. By the time she finished high school, she’d been chosen in two consecutive years as a vocal track participant in the industry-leading GRAMMY Camp. Jaelee was an official Bluegrass Ramble Showcase artist at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass in 2019 as well as being a 2020 IBMA Songwriter Showcase artist. In 2021, Jaelee signed with Mountain Home Music Company, was invited to join the multi-award winning, all-female supergroup Sister Sadie on guitar and vocals and received the IBMA Momentum Vocalist of the Year and IBMA Vocal Group of the Year awards. By 2022, she had released her debut full-length album Something You Didn’t Count On which became an immediate commercial and critical success. The album debuted in the Top Ten on the Billboard Bluegrass Album chart and peaked at #2 on the Bluegrass Unlimited album chart. The album won the 2023 Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) Album of the Year award, and Jaelee was also named Female Vocalist of the Year. In September of 2023, Jaelee made her solo debut at the Grand Ole Opry.