Singer-Songwriter Chely Wright Performing in NYC on 9/6; New Album Out 9/9

Tour Dates Include:

Tuesday, Sept. 6
City Winery
New York, NY
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Saturday, Oct. 1
Club Helsinki Hudson
Hudson, NY
(with Amy Ray)

(Press Release, New York, NY) An award-winning, singer/songwriter, author, and activist, Chely Wright's heroic personal and creative journey has inspired millions while inalterably changing the world of country music and beyond. Now, after more than five years away from the spotlight, Wright has announced the MRI/Sony release of her long anticipated new album.I AM THE RAIN will be available for pre-order beginning July 22nd before arriving in stores and online retailers everywhere on September 9th.


I AM THE RAIN is preceded by the new track release, "What About Your Heart." A series of videos combining studio footage and artist commentary are currently in production and will be released track by track via Wright's official YouTube channel and all social media leading up to and after the album street date. Wright will also herald I AM THE RAIN with a US headline tour, to be announced soon.
 
Wright's eighth studio album and first new musical release in more than half a decade, I AM THE RAIN was funded in large part by a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign - the #1 most funded country music Kickstarter project to date as well as the 11th most successful music campaign in the global benefit corporation's history.

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I AM THE RAIN stands as a major milestone for Wright, truly affirming her as an incandescent, once-in-a-lifetime artist. The album was recorded last September at Los Angeles' legendary Sunset Sound studio with multiple GRAMMY® Award-winning producer/artist Joe Henry (Allen Toussaint, Bonnie Raitt, Carolina Chocolate Drops) at the helm, backed by a impressive contingent of session superstars including GRAMMY®-winning engineer/mixer Ryan Freeland (Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs, Aimee Mann), guitarists Adam Levy (Norah Jones, Ani DiFranco) and Mark Goldenberg (Brian Wilson, Jackson Browne), bassist David Piltch (Madeleine Peyroux, Glen Hansard), keyboardist Patrick Warren (Tom Waits, Lana Del Rey), woodwind multi-instrumentalist Levon Henry, pedal steel guitarist Eric Heywood (Hayes Carll, Over The Rhine), and drummer Jay Bellerose (Willie Nelson, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss).

I AM THE RAIN - which follows 2010's much-admired LIFTED OFF THE GROUND - sees Wright continuing to develop her overall sonic palette. Moreover, deeply personal songs like "Inside," "Where Will You Be," and "Pain," (featuring backing vocals from the one and only Emmylou Harris) reveal a striking new freedom as a songwriter, their heart-hitting melodies more than a match for her frank and incisive lyricism.
 
I AM THE RAIN also showcases a number of songs co-written with Henry, among them the provocative "Holy War" and "See Me Home," the latter described by Wright as "the rudder of the whole album." Other unassailable highlights include "At The Heart Of Me" (co-written with Henry and longtime friend Rodney Crowell), as well as a powerful rendition of Bob Dylan's timeless "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" featuring backing vocals from acclaimed indie-folk duo The Milk Carton Kids. As unflinching and adventurous as it is heartfelt and inspirational, I AM THE RAIN begins the next remarkable chapter in Chely Wright's increasingly historic body of work.
 
"I believe I've given birth to a beautiful new baby," Wright says, "and I would like people who see my baby to think it's beautiful too. That's how much this new music means to me. I am so very lucky it all came true."

​Visit chely.com, www.facebook.com/chelyw, twitter.com/chelywright,http://www.youtube.com/user/ChelyWright, and likeme.org.