Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley brings solo effort to Houston.
When the country trio Lady Antebellum took time off from the road after the release of the hit 2014 album “747,” member Charles Kelley didn’t kick back on a beach.
Instead, he headed into the studio to record some tracks on his own. “It was purely making music for music’s sake,” he says from his home in Nashville. “I really trusted my gut.”
Those sessions resulted in his first solo album, “The Driver,” released in early February on Capitol Nashville. It’s a gritty, organic song cycle that finds vocalist Kelley stretching out stylistically from Lady A’s polished pop-country and singing with a somewhat rougher edge. There are also several strong collaborations, including star turns from rock icon Stevie Nicks and country belter Miranda Lambert.
Although Kelley is psyched about his solo tour, which takes him to the House of Blues in Houston on Sunday, he makes it clear that he’s just moonlighting for a short time from Lady Antebellum. All is fine and dandy between him and his Lady A partners, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood.
“We’ve been together as a group for about nine years. We’re still doing some shows here and there and in the summer, but we wanted to take a year off from going straight back into the studio and making music. We’ve always been behind the eight ball, having to come up with new music. We felt we needed to get reinspired, write a little more and just take our time.”
When Kelley first went into the studio on his own, he had no agenda. His only goal was to have fun and experiment. The first song he recorded was the lovely, melancholy number “The Driver.” Country star Dierks Bentley and co-writer Eric Paslay joined in on shimmering harmonies. Inspired by the result, Kelley kept recording and got the green light from his label for a solo release.
The work has paid off. Even before the album was released, the title single earned him a Grammy nomination for best country duo/group performance.
“It was really a validating moment,” he says about the award nomination. “I’m not going to lie — (there was some) fear putting out this record and not wanting to be disappointed by how it
was received. Now that it’s out there, it has been an amazing feeling that people are respecting it and enjoying it.”
As the project came together, so did various collaborations. Lambert joins him for the bittersweet “I Wish You Were Here,” an ode about missing a loved one on the road.
“Miranda gives the song such an amazing vulnerability,” Kelley says. “She’s one of the greatest voices we have in country music. There’s a reason she’s had so much success. Her voice is just so believable. It meant a lot to have her on the record.”
Kelley achieved a personal dream when Nicks joined him in the studio.
“I first connected with Stevie when Lady Antebellum did (the TV show) ‘CMT Crossroads’ with her,” Kelley says. “We hit it off musically and stayed in touch.”
Kelley asked if she’d like to join him on a version of the Tom Petty song “Southern Accents.” As fate would have it, Nicks is a major Petty fan and immediately agreed. Her beautifully weathered tone is an earthy fit for the number and recalls the sound of country legend Emmylou Harris.
“It was a total dream of mine to have my voice on an album with Stevie Nicks,” he says. “This was definitely my geek-out moment on the record.”
The song itself holds sentimental value for him.
“I’ve always thought ‘Southern Accents’ would make an amazing country song,” Kelley says. “It’s always spoken to me. I’ve always loved it. Every time I hear that song, it reminds me of my dad. He grew up in the North Georgia mountains, and he’s very religious. He has strong, dirty hands. It was an homage to him when I cut it.”
Kelley’s older brother Josh is featured on “Round in Circles” and joins Kelley as an opening act on tour.
“Having my brother out there with me is going to make the experience so much more enjoyable,” Kelley says about his tour. “This is a time for me to go out and play some really intimate venues. I love playing arenas and amphitheaters with Lady Antebellum, but I also like the spontaneous (experiences) you get from playing clubs.”