There are few phenomena more powerful and mysterious than two voices naturally drawn together. When Kelly Jones and Patty Lynn met backstage during a U.S. tour in 2013, they hardly knew each other but sensed an undeniable musical chemistry. Six years later, they proved their theory in a U.K. studio — and Far From Saints were born.

An entirely new band with a cross-genre sound that will appeal to fans of country, rock, folk, soul, and Americana, Far From Saints debut with an indelible album of 10 expertly crafted songs that touch on themes of love, perseverance, self-doubt, and self-healing. It’s a record that, much like the band itself, was created over an unadulterated love of music and collaboration. Far From Saints is honest, real, and  brimming with integrity.

It all started with a Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks cover. For his 2019 solo tour, Kelly Jones — leader of the legendary Welsh band Stereophonics — enlisted  Patty Lynn and Dwight Baker’s Austin group The Wind and the Wave to open. They all knew each other after touring together in 2013, but this time the musical magnetism was too strong not to explore.

In backstage hallways, dressing rooms, and hotels, Kelly, Patty and Dwight went on to trade musical  touchstones, talk influences, and harmonize together. Soon, they were writing songs too. The band knew they had discovered something magical and, most of all, effortless.

“There was never a project planned,” Kelly says. “One night, Patty and Dwight walked off stage and I said, ‘We’ve got to do something together.’ The next day we sang something in a dressing room and it just formed from there. We booked two recording sessions, one at the end of each leg of the tour, and we did the whole album in nine days.”

Patty underscores just how casually Far From Saints came into existence — when she and Kelly first met, she didn’t know who he was.

But while Far From Saints was ready to make its debut, the universe had other plans. Shortly after finishing the LP in the fall of 2019, the pandemic struck, delaying the album indefinitely. “We were an ocean apart after the pandemic hit,” Kelly says, “and the record sat on a shelf for nearly two years.”

Despite the unexpected gestation period, Far From Saints, produced by the band and mixed by Al Clay, has lost none of its impact. The record vibrates with intensity, anchored by Kelly and Patty’s striking vocals and Kelly’s crisp guitar style. It arrives at exactly the right moment, as a balm for troubled times.

While Far From Saints may be a proper band, the project allows room for each of its members to add their own musical personality. For Kelly, that means a long history with classic rock, soul, and blues, while Patty is shaped by her love of indie rock and Nineties country music, and Dwight by Southern and hard rock.