Carla Gover - Kentucky Queen (CD)

An eighth-generation Eastern Kentucky songwriter with two #1 albums under her belt in the past five years, Carla Gover weaves traditional Appalachian expressions into contemporary folk with the skill of someone born to the craft. On Kentucky Queen, her first solo album in 15 years, Gover honors the lineage of mountain women who shaped her while pushing the tradition forward with songs that feel both ancient and immediate. From the John Denver-inspired love letter "Pine Mountain High" to the haunting instrumental "Pretty Little Snake," these thirteen tracks compress time, blending dream-written songs with traditional ballads, and clawhammer banjo with ethereal harmonies. Gover's voice carries the emotions of eight generations of Kentucky ancestors, while speaking directly to today's world. For fans of Jean Ritchie, Gillian Welch, and Tyler Childers, Kentucky Queen offers an authentic connection to Appalachian culture without nostalgia—this is living tradition in the hands of a master storyteller.