Sara Jean Kelley is a river beneath a river with an edgy sense of humor; an explorer, a rescuer, a 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. Following the release of Sara’s EP, Black Snake: an album that addresses life and death, transformation and rebirth, strength and resilience; she is now tackling one of her favorite childhood songs: DREAMS by The Cranberries.
In this whimsical, romantic version of The Cranberries song DREAMS, Sara exercises her vocal range in an homage to Dolores O’Riordan’s iconic yodel and melodic sensibility.
After 3 decades of listening to and loving The Cranberries, she is taking one of their biggest hits and making it her own.