PREMIERE: Chelsea Nolan Stokes the Flames on Debut EP “chelsea.”

“I’ve waited 27 years for this. For the first 25 years of that wait, I didn’t even realize I was waiting. I never thought I’d have a record to call my own,” writes Chelsea Nolan. “But something felt way too right about how it all fell together to just walk away.” During a short run with Sam Williams, grandson of Hank Williams, the Kentucy-born singer-songwriter met engineer and producer, Tom Vrem (Chris Stapleton, St Paul & The Broken Bones), who invited her down to record in Nashville.

“If you think something is just a crazy coincidence, odds are it’s much bigger than that. My band walked into Studio D and punched out five live-tracked songs in just six hours. There’s a lot of love between us all, seeing as there are two sets of siblings playing the music that keeps us all ticking.”

The short turnaround time not withstanding, I think these recordings do Nolan’s music justice. I first heard Nolan on WB Walker’s Old Soul Radio Show and was disappointed when I saw she didn’t have any music out at the time. Six months later, I see it was worth the wait. Nolan can out-write and out-sing pretty much all of her peers. Sure, she can crush it as hard as anyone on the crowd favorite “Rock Bottom,” but “Build a Fire” is the kind of character study that elevates a writer into the upper tier. The EP exudes confidence and is definitely a banger, though you owe it to yourself to tune into the lyrics. They showcase Nolan’s keen perceptions as well as her distinctive voice.

chelsea. is available on October 12th. You can preorder it here.