Jess Kerber

Across the album, Kerber’s rich, velvety tenor assumes a deep tenderness and warmth, while varying arrangements of pedal steel, Wurlitzer, drums, and ambient guitar create the surrounding shimmer.

The influence of her upbringing – and what she lovingly calls the “way apart from the rest of the world feeling” of the Deep South – shines through in the honest, straightforward, and timeless qualities of her composition. About her process, Kerber notes, “The most important thing is to lean into intuition, and when I was working with Will on these songs, it was so much fun that I almost forgot we were making a record.” Fittingly, From Way Down Here is the rare debut that shows all the fully-formed hallmarks of a seasoned songwriter, and across its varied environments, she constructs a compelling world of raw beauty and truth, whose spell remains long after the final notes fade.

RIYL: Neko Case, Gillian Welch/David Rawlings, Lomelda, Adrienne Lenker, Julie Bryne, Six Organs of Admittance, Waxahatchee