Jelly Roll takes Nashville to church at 'Whitsitt Chapel' release show

Sweaty and smiling ear-to-ear, Jelly Roll stepped on stage Wednesday night inside the Ryman Auditorium and took his hometown to church.

The 38-year-old rapper-turned-crooner — born Jason DeFord, a native of working-class Nashville borough Antioch — returned to the Mother Church this week to celebrate his forthcoming country album, "Whitsitt Chapel." He played the album in-full, delivering a collection of songs about Saturday night sins and Sunday morning sanctity to a congregation of fans, family and friends. The audience gathered in downtown Nashville to hear the songs live — many for the first time — hours before "Whitsitt Chapel" hits store shelves and streaming services Friday.

"This is gonna be different than any show we've ever done," said DeFord, a towering, tattooed ex-convict who hustled for years in independent hip-hop scenes before breaking into mainstream country and rock music. From the stage, he added, "Holy (expletive). I can't believe we sold this out for an album release party."

Two years ago, headlining the Ryman Auditorium marked a miraculous feat for an artist who once built his following by selling t-shirts out of a car trunk and playing club shows for a $50 payday. Now — after headlining Bridgestone Arena in 2022 and notching chart-topping songs on country and rock radio — he can pack the pews on-demand. DeFord drew a capacity audience to the famed concert hall two nights in a row this week; Tuesday night, the singer-songwriter hosted a screening of "Jelly Roll: Save Me," a Hulu documentary charting his rise from inmate to music-making stardom.

And on Wednesday night, DeFord put a spotlight on the next chapter of his career: "Whitsitt Chapel." The album — named after the Bell Road church he attended as a boy — takes listeners on a so-called "Backroad Baptism" through songs of faith, addiction, love and life in-between. With tunes anchored in religious imagery, he sang about self-worth (on the anthemic "Nail Me"), like-minded followers (on rock-tinged "The Lost"), overdue reunions (on steel guitar-soaked "Hungover in a Church Pew") and heart-breaking habits (on big-voiced ballad "She").

"I needed to write the album between the 14-year-old Jason DeFord," he said, referring to a handful of teenage arrests, "... and [when] I went on to turn my life around."

More:Jelly Roll doc 'Save Me' highlights artist with message of salvation greater than music

On stage, DeFord shared album-making anecdotes, from co-writing with Miranda Lambert to lobbying for marijuana legalization and his blooming friendship with fellow country singer Brantley Gilbert, who joined DeFord on stage Wednesday with longtime collaborator and Nashville rapper Struggle Jennings for a performance of new song "Behind Bars."

After Jennings and Gilbert, DeFord surprised his audience later in the show by inviting rapper YelaWolf to for a guest verse on album track "Unlive."

"We're all so proud of you," said YelaWolf, an Alabama-born rapper who spent his formative years in Nashville. "You're making face tattoos cool again."

DeFord closed with an encore of songs — including the unflinching "Save Me" and self-reflective "Son of a Sinner" — that helped to make him a breakout success fueled by a fanbase who receives each word like a Sunday sermon.

"We got to play 'Whitsitt Chapel' for you all before anybody heard it," DeFord said. He added, "I wouldn't want to play it anywhere but home."

Jelly Roll 'Whitsitt Chapel' release show setlist

• Halfway To Hell*
• Church*
• The Lost*
• Behind Bars (with Brantley Gilbert and Struggle Jennings)*
• Nail Me*
• Hold On Me*
• Kill A Man*
• Unlive (with Yelawolf)*
• She*
• Need A Favor*
• Dancing With The Devil*
• Hungover In A Church Pew*
• Encore:
• Creature
• Bottle and Mary Jane
• Cover medley: House Of The Rising Sun/Hurricane/Colt 45
• Save Me*
• Son Of A Sinner 

* notes song off upcoming album "Whitsitt Chapel"