When it comes to his latest album, In the Shadow of the Mountain, 25-year-old singer-songwriter Cole Chaney is pretty candid and blunt about who he is and what kind of music he wants to make — the result of which, this stunning offering from an artist wise beyond his age. “I’m not concerned with being labeled as ‘country,’ whatever that means. And I’m kind of fed up with the scene, it’s not what I’m into right now,” Chaney says. Pointing to his lifelong admiration for 1990s rock as a vital influence on the sonic landscape of the album, Chaney aimed to find a melodic balance between that raw and real rock sound and the bluegrass and folk music of his native Kentucky.