Jelly Roll, after a stint in jail, returned with a resolve to pour his heart and soul into music.
“I felt a sudden switch within me,” he recalls in his upcoming documentary, “Jelly Roll: Save Me.” “Upon my release, I dived headfirst into music without any safety nets.”
The Antioch, Tennessee-born musician is preparing for the May 30 premiere of his revealing documentary “Jelly Roll: Save Me” on Hulu, followed by the launch of his inaugural country album “Whitsitt Chapel” on June 2. Recently, he released both the trailer for “Jelly Roll: Save Me” and the tracklist for “Whitsitt Chapel.”
Jelly Roll emphasizes the power of transformation in the documentary’s preview. “You can reinvent yourself. Overcome the odds. They told me I was too overweight for the music industry, that my voice lacked appeal. Overcoming these obstacles was like climbing a mountain.”
He further unveils his struggle with mental health, stating, “My toughest adversary has always been my mental health. Music served as my saving grace. I feel I owe it to my fans to instill in them a sense of hope. Had I not pursued music, I wouldn’t be alive today. Who could have imagined my music would impact others?”
The disclosed “Whitsitt Chapel” tracklist is evidence of Nashville’s country music community rallying behind Jelly Roll. All 13 songs are co-written by Jelly Roll, with several prominent country artists contributing to various tracks.
“The Lost” features the writing prowess of Miranda Lambert and Jesse Frasure, while Ashley McBryde, Andrew Baylis, Zach Crowell, and Michael Wayne Atha collaborated on “Unlive.” The track “Church” saw contributions from HARDY and David Garcia. “Behind Bars” boasts the talents of Brantley Gilbert and Struggle Jennings, and Lainey Wilson assisted on “Save Me.”
Jelly Roll began hinting at the album, named after the church from his childhood, back in March by sharing several images of the Whitsitt Chapel church sign embedded with his song lyrics.
“This album reflects the maturation and gratitude blossoming in my life,” he expressed. “I aimed to create a body of work infused with hope. The most distressing sentiment one can harbor is feeling hopeless or insignificant. This music is therapeutic. It’s authentic music for authentic people facing genuine challenges.”
Whitsitt Chapel Track Listing:
1. Halfway To Hell – Written by Jason DeFord, Jesse Frasure, Matt Jenkins, Jessie Jo Dillon*
2. Church – Written by Jason DeFord, Michael Hardy, David Garcia**
3. The Lost – Written by Jason DeFord, Jesse Frasure, Miranda Lambert*
4. Behind Bars (with Brantley Gilbert and Struggle Jennings) – Written by Jason DeFord, Brantley Gilbert, Michael Whitworth, Andrew Baylis, Brock Berryhill, Austin Nivarel***
5. Nail Me – Written by Jason DeFord, Kevin Gruft, Austin Nivarel^
6. Hold On Me – Written by Jason DeFord, Hillary Lindsey, Alysa Vanderheym, Michael Whitworth^
7. Kill A Man – Written by Jason DeFord, Riley Thomas, Andrew Baylis, Michael Whitworth^
8. Unlive (with Yelawolf) – Written by Jason DeFord, Ashley McBryde, Andrew Baylis, Zach Crowell, Michael Wayne Atha^
9. Save Me (with Lainey Wilson) – Written by Jason DeFord, David Ray Stevens^^
10. She – Written by Jason DeFord, Austin Nivarel, Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft^^^
11. Need A Favor – Written by Jason DeFord, Austin Nivarel, Joe Ragosta, Rob Ragosta*^
12. Dancing With The Devil – Written by Jason DeFord, Hunter Phelps, Zach Crowell^
13. Hungover In A Church Pew – Written by Jason DeFord, Hunter Phelps, Zach Crowell^
^Produced by Zach Crowell
*Produced by Zach Crowell and Jesse Frasure
**Produced by Zach Crowell and David Garcia
^^Produced by Zach Crowell and David Ray Stevens
*^Produced by Austin Nivarel
***Produced by Brock Berryhill and Andrew Baylis
^^^Produced by Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft
#JellyRoll #SaveMeDocumentary #WhitsittChapel #CountryMusic #staticlivemagazine #staticlivemusic
