Mother-Daughter Duo the Belles Are ‘Set in My Ways’ in Acoustic Performance [Exclusive Premiere]
The Belles recently released their debut EP, and the mother-daughter duo are treating Taste of Country readers to a special acoustic version of one of the songs in this exclusive premiere.
In the clip above, the Belles give a fun, carefree performance of "Set in My Ways," a spirited song from their EP that showcases their unique harmony blend. They're accompanied by guitarist Ron Cooley for the performance, which takes place in a simple outdoors setting that lends itself to a no-frills feel.
Consisting of Jaymie Jones and her daughter, Kelli Jones, the Belles hail from Omaha. Kelli took home Female Vocalist of the Year honors at the 2017 Rocky Mountain CMAs, and she sings lead in the duo, while her mother adds crystal-clear, silky harmonies and plays guitar. Jaymie is quick to admit that she is her daughter's biggest fan.
“I actually just love watching Kelli sing,” she says. “She does all our lead work, and I am to the left of her playing guitar, and I just love to watch her. Sometimes I have to remind myself you need to look at the audience."
“I like to think of myself as the setting and her as the diamond,” she adds. “I’m not trying to be the center of attention at all. I feel like she’s the center, I am just there to support her.”
The duo enlisted award-winning Nashville producer Mickey Jack Cones — whose credits include Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch and Walker McGuire — for their self-titled debut EP, which they released in March. They're also veterans of the road, having opened for Brett Eldredge, Old Dominion, Dan + Shay, Eli Young Band and many more.
The Belles list the Dixie Chicks and Miranda Lambert as influences, but "Set in My Ways" is more reminiscent of the family harmonies of the Judds, with Jaymie adding lower harmonies to blend with Kelli's lead parts. The Judds were actually on the bill at Jaymie's first-ever concert; they opened for the Statler Brothers when she saw them in Omaha, performing for an arena crowd for the first time in their career.
“I wanted to play guitar after that show,” Jaymie recalls. “I remember seeing Wyonna on stage, and that was one of the first times I saw a girl playing guitar. I remember telling my mom, ‘I want to get a guitar.’ I wanted to be able to do that.”
The Belles' debut EP is currently available via Apple Music, as well as on Spotify. Keep up with the duo at their official website, or by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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