I have a feeling Cole Chaney is in for a big 2023.
A native of Catlettsburg, Kentucky, Chaney is one of the latest Appalachian artists to gain serious momentum within the country music scene. Following in the footsteps of Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Charles Wesley Godwin, Sierra Ferrell, 49 Winchester, and so many other artists that have come out of the region, is an authentic songwriter detailing his experiences and the experiences of others in Appalachia throughout his music.
Chaney burst onto the scene with his debut album Mercy in 2021, a hard-hitting, largely acoustic album that put his name on the radar of country music fans across the country. With a spotlight on Chaney’s deft lyricism and innate storytelling ability, his 12-track project Mercy proved to be one of the best albums of the year.
“Ill WIll Creek” and “Coalshooter” quickly separated themselves from the rest of the album as songs that resonated mostly with fans, amassing well over a million views at this point. While these songs are awesome, Mercy has so much more to offer. While there isn’t a single weak link on the record, the title track “Mercy” and “Silver Run” are two of my personal favorites, but Chaney’s tune “Another Day in the Life” is high up there, too.
RadioWV, one of YouTube’s best sources for Appalachian music, recently posted an amazing video of Chaney singing “Another Day in the Life,” in front of the beautiful Seneca Rocks in West Virginia.
Check it out:
Chaney has been able to ride the momentum from Mercy, and deservedly so, for quite some time now.
Having amassed a strong following already, Chaney’s fanbase is still going quickly as more and more people continue to discover his music, and Mercy is a perfect record for country music fans to dive into.
Luckily for us, though, Chaney did release four new songs in tandem with OurVinyl back in September.
Picking up right where he left off, the Cole Chaney | OurVinyl Sessions EP is just more proof of Chaney’s talent.
If you haven’t listened to it yet, here’s my favorite of the four, “Charlene.”
It takes time to put together a meaningful record, and I’m sure Chaney is working hard at putting another one out soon. I mean, it hasn’t even been two years yet since Mercy, and he did just put out that EP.
But there are a lot of fans out there, including myself, that would love for a full-length Cole Chaney record to drop in 2023.
Given the traction he gained with Mercy, and the fact that its music continues to reach new fans at a rate that debut albums rarely do nearly two years after their release, I think Chaney’s next album could catapult him to the top of the independent music scene.
In the meantime, though, I’ll be content listening to the great music he has already released. Listen to a few more of my favorites below:
“Mercy”
“Spirit”
