Tag Archives: Martin and Kelly

Live Review: Martin and Kelly at Kimball Farm

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photo by Geoff Wilbur

Martin and Kelly

Kimball Farm, Westford, MA

May 30, 2025

The Backstory

It’s hard to believe it’s been 8 years since I last saw and reviewed Martin and Kelly, one of the area’s most talented country bands. Well, many areas, actually. In addition to New England, Martin and Kelly spend a lot of time touring (here’s their 2025 concert schedule), frequently trekking out to the Mountain Time Zone (Colorado, Wyoming), occasionally hitting the Plains (there were Iowa gigs this year), and otherwise touring up and down the east coast from New England to Florida. But when they’re in New England, I’ve been keeping an eye on their gigs hoping to catch one. Two weeks ago, if the Watertown Porchfest had been a rainout, a Martin and Kelly show was my backup plan for that day. Well, last night the rain held off, so I headed up to Kimball Farm and was thoroughly entertained, as expected.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

The Review

Jilly Martin is an impressive singer with a broad range. She can hit the ideal pitch and tone for old-school country songs and, though she does it less often, can keep pace with new country, as well. Ryan Kelly has a voice that’s well-attuned to classic country, particularly when there’s a rougher edge called for. Together, their voice blend exceptionally well into impressive harmonies. And Ryan can throw down some mean guitarwork from time to time, too. As a duo, Martin and Kelly are a big draw across several geographies in the U.S. And they’re able to draw a pretty good crowd to an atypical venue like Kimball Farm, as they kicked off the Kimball Farm summer concert series last night.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

The duo kept the crowd engaged for the entire two-hour show, encompassing two entertaining sets.

An early highlight was a patriotic Martin and Kelly original, “Stood Their Ground.” Early on, the duo also delivered a “picking and grinning” rendition of “Eastbound and Down” and a  version of “Tulsa Time” that sounds so sweet when Jilly sings it.

“Chattahoochie” featured a patented Martin and Kelly vocal blend with great harmonies and some lively pickin’ from Ryan on guitar. (OK, they both play guitar, so “guitar on the right.”)

Remember how I said modern country was within Jilly’s wheelhouse, too? I suppose it’s a mix of modern and classic, but she delivered the goods on a cover of the Carrie Underwood version of Randy Travis’ “I Told You So.”

After a rousing performance of “9 to 5,” they performed the Randy Travis-penned “If She Means That Much to You,” with great sweet soft country vocals from Jilly, a song well-fitting her voice and in which she sports just a hint of where the country twang might go if a singer had one. Plus, she delivers a great burst of power vocals at the song’s end.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Other first-set highlights were a nice a capella “King of the Road” led by Jilly, with Ryan joining for harmony on the song’s back half, and an energetic version of John Anderson’s/LeAnn Rimes’ “Swingin’,” which featured a notably festive guitar-picking run from Ryan.

Early second set crowdpleasers included a rousing rendition of Shania Twain’s “Whose Be Have Your Boots Been Under.” And then a cool Jilly Martin vocal-led cover of “Ring of Fire.”

A second set highlight was the new “I Can’t Stop This Wanting You Feeling.” With nice harmonies, a catchy hook, and a nifty little guitar bit in the middle of song, this seems like a sure-fire future crowd favorite. I also think the little “woo-hoo-oo-oo” bits add to the song’s memorableness. (A recording of this one coming soon, maybe?)

The duo dropped a little treat for any non-country fans in the audience. A version of “Waterfalls” with as-usual spot-on vox from Jilly, a clever strumming pattern and little picking runs from Ryan, and an excellent what-the-hell-is-that?, wow-that’s-really-good! stretch of rapping from Jilly in the middle.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Jilly then showcased her yodeling skills before the duo followed with a nice “Country Roads” duet. It features a nice powerful, Rondstadtty vocal from Jilly and serves as a great send-off number, a fun way to close the show.

A Martin and Kelly show is always a dependably outstanding performance. According to the Kimball Farm Music Series schedule, you can catch the duo back in Westford on August 16th. According to Martin and Kelly’s concert calendar, between now and then, they’ll be performing in 12 different states across the country, as far west as Wyoming and Colorado and as far south as North Carolina, including several shows in four New England states.

Live Review: Martin and Kelly at Chopps

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Martin and Kelly

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Martin and Kelly

Chopps American Bar and Grill, Burlington, MA

May 23, 2017

Jilly Martin and Ryan Brooks Kelly are a local country duo with a good pedigree as is apparent from the list of big names they’ve shared the stage with. Also, more importantly to those of us who care about such things, they’re outstanding musicians and performers. When sampling their music in advance of this evening, the song that convinced me they were a must-see was their catchy, fun original “Young, Broke, and Beautiful.” Both have strong country voices – Jilly’s is a sweet, high voice well-suited to classic country, while Ryan’s is a modern country voice with a bit of an edge, with the added ability of throwing in a good twang when called for. Together, their voices blend exceptionally well, so it’s a real treat to hear them sing harmonies, and they find a way to work to their own vocal strengths in their originals.

Martin and Kelly

photo by Geoff Wilbur

The performance space at Chopps is in the bar area of the restaurant, adjacent to the lobby of the Marriott Hotel in which it’s located. As a result, the musical performances tend to be a little subdued. On this particular night, Martin and Kelly delivered a performance well-suited to a toned-down environment like Chopps, with patrons enjoying their music both actively and passively. I stayed for the first half of their 3-hour time slot and thoroughly enjoyed myself; I always love the food, service, and setting at this restaurant, so when there’s good live music here, I’m an “easy sell.” I do, however, look forward to catching Martin and Kelly in a livelier environment one of these days to see more of their energetic side.

Martin and Kelly

photo by Geoff Wilbur

The duo opened with their rendition of Thompson Square’s “I Got You,” with their vocals blending solidly when they harmonized. Next up, Jilly got to show off her vocal chops on Sugar Land’s “Something More.”

Jilly’s high and soft-but-strong vocals were particularly well-suited to Kasey Musgraves’ “Merry Go Round,” while Ryan’s voice displayed an emotional edge on Scotty McCreery’s “Carolina Moon.”

There were other noteworthy covers I caught during the evening’s performance. For example, there was a rendition of “Make You Feel My Love” that was sung sweetly by Jilly, somewhat like a lullaby. Thomas Rhett & Tori Kelly’s “Die a Happy Man” offered them an opportunity to showcase their sweet harmonies in a nicely blended duet. And Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind” afforded Ryan a chance to put his sweet crooning skills on display, while Jilly picked up the second verse strong, and the song lent itself to some classic harmonies, too; certainly, this is one of the duo’s strongest covers.

Martin and Kelly

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Also notable was Martin and Kelly’s rendition of Joey + Rory’s “Cheater, Cheater.” Jilly channeled Johnny Cash, it seemed, for some of the low notes on this picker and grinner, while Ryan’s guitar did its best banjo impression. And the duo delivered a fun country version of Avicii’s “Wake Me Up,” with Jilly and Ryan taking on Aloe Blacc’s vocal line by swapping the vocals back and forth, adding an interesting texture to the song.

Later in the first set, Jilly sported a bluesy country edge to her vocals on her rendition of Reba McEntire’s “Why Haven’t I Heard From You” – perhaps her strongest cover vocal of the evening, and certainly the one that showed the most range. And early in the second set, Ryan’s vocal was at its most half-growly during Eric Church’s “Hell On the Heart.”

But, again, this duo shines the brightest during Martin and Kelly originals. The original they performed during their first set was “I’m Gonna Kiss You,” on which both singers seemed to play to their strengths.

Martin and Kelly

photo by Geoff Wilbur

And, of course, just as the clock hit my personally previously-determined exit time, three songs into their second set, the duo cranked up “Young, Broke, and Beautiful.” So I stayed for one extra song. Simply wow. It’s an energetically fun original with well-crafted vocal harmonies, Jilly and Ryan’s individual vocal parts each residing within their own personal sweet spots and blending perfectly together, augmented by a nice supporting guitar line and subtle hooks. This one’s radio-ready and hit-caliber. And a great time for me to call it a night, to end on a high note, at the conclusion of my own personal favorite Martin and Kelly original… though I’m sure I’d’ve enjoyed the remaining 90 minutes of the band’s program if I hadn’t wanted to get home.

Looking Ahead

Martin and Kelly’s upcoming concert schedule has them crisscrossing New England, with many shows in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. plus the odd Rhode Island gig and a few shows in Verona, NY. Check the “Shows” page on their website for upcoming dates on a schedule that’s already packed until the fall and starting to fill in beyond, as well. According to Martin and Kelly’s website, their next few shows are… tonight, May 24th, at Sylvan Street Grille in Salisbury, MA with 101.7 The Bull; Friday, May 26th at World of Beer in West Hartford, CT; Saturday, May 27th at the Tin Rooster at the Turningstone Casino in Verona, NY; Tuesday, May 30th at a WOKQ event in Seabrook, NH; Thursday, June 1st at the Boston Harbor Hotel in Boston, MA; Friday, June 2nd at Station Eight in Marshfield, MA; and Saturday, June 3rd at the Whiskey Barrel in Haverhill, MA.