Kiely Connell at the Raccoon Motel -- January 8.
Sunday, January 8, 7 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Lauded by Americana-UK as a talent who boasts "a soulful wail, a quieter, world-weary growl, and expressive country yawp," country singer/songwriter Kiely Connell headlines a January 8 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, her 2021 recording Calumet Queen deemed by the United Kingdom's Folk Radio "an outstanding debut ... written and sung with wisdom, insights and experience of a life-seasoned artist."
Hailing from Hammond, Indiana, just four houses down from the Illinois state line, Connell is currently based in Nashville, and draws inspiration from the hardworking people of her native Midwest community. With her four-octave range lauded by fans and music critics alike, the singer/songwriter prides herself on taking listeners on a different journey to unknown places, both sonically and emotionally. Connell writes songs that have a Gothic country aesthetic -- a blend of somber poetry and Western melodies delivered with her rich and brooding voice that merges gritty blues with an ethereal upper register, leaving audiences comparing her to the likes of Patsy Cline, Joan Baez, and Joni Mitchell.
Paying homage to home, hardship, and humanity with her 2021 debut album Calumet Queen, Connell has already been the beneficiary of numerous rave reviews. Glide magazine wrote, "With the biting folksy twang vocals of Brandi Carlile mixed with the overpowering soul of Ann Wilson, Connell covers vast musical terrain with her expressionist approach to music." Grateful Web stated, "Throughout Calumet Queen’s 20 tracks, Connell plumbs the depths of Americana influence, combining breezy indie-folk with heavy swamp rock & roadhouse country twang. And according to Saving Country Music, "Calumet Queen will send shivers down your spine and prick the very deepest regions of your soul with its sincere and distinct expressions of an unburdening heart. Exquisitely sung and written, delightfully sparse in aspect, it yearns to leave you with an unsettled feeling, and succeeds in a way that is peculiarly comforting."
Kiely Connell headlines her Davenport engagement on January 8, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $12, and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
