“I don’t think you can get this sound unless it’s borned in ya,” said bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, when asked what he considered “old-time mountain music.” When Melissa Carper heard those words, something jumped inside her. While staying in the country with a friend, she found an old DVD of “Down From the Mountain,’’ the documentary and concert film of the ‘O, Brother Where Art Thou’ soundtrack that featured this particular Stanley interview. She immediately jotted down “borned in ya” on a piece of paper. “I knew I had to write that song,” she recalls.

Carper wrote ‘Borned In Ya’, and made it the title track of her forthcoming album, out July 19th via Mae Music/Thirty Tigers. Crafting a fine new bunch of songs, including 3 co-writes with friend and band mate, Brennen Leigh (Wonder Women of Country), Carper headed back to East Nashville’s Bomb Shelter in the spring of 2023, the same “analog wonderland” where she’d recorded Ramblin’ Soul and its predecessor, Daddy’s Country Gold. She enlisted the help of her trusted co-producers, Andrija Tokic and Dennis Crouch, and called on many of the same Nashville top-flight musicians—Chris Scruggs (guitars and steel), Jeff Taylor (piano and organ), Billy Contreras (fiddle), Dennis Crouch on upright bass, and Kyshona Armstrong and crew on backup vocals. Since Borned In Ya features Carper’s vintage country jazz chops, she added the talents of long-time musical partner Jenn Miori Hodges on harmonies and Doug Corcoran (JD McPherson) on horns. This stellar crew was more than ready to bring these new songs to life.

Dubbed “Hillbillie Holiday” by her friend Chris Scruggs, Carper continues to aspire to this comparison. “I stand by that,” says Scruggs. “She can sing Hank Williams and then handle these old pop tunes. And the great thing is how natural she is—she doesn’t even really change her delivery.” Borned In Ya showcases Carper’s long-standing musical influences as well as her artistic growth and sense of adventure. In addition to her familiar blend of country with jazz, blues, soul, and R&B, the new album sees Carper continuing her subtle mix of these elements, creating songs that cross the genres, calling back to the “popular” sounds of another era. From Gospel-style vocal choruses to funky grooves, to recalling the classic R&B of the 50s and 60s, to hillbilly jazz, honky-tonk, and country soul, Carper has created another stunner for eager listeners to enjoy.