Dreamer Awake
The first album from Candace Chellew
Download the album from Bandcamp or listen on your favorite streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.
The debut album from Columbia singer-songwriter Candace Chellew, Dreamer Awake, has been a two-year project, as Chellew enlisted Zach Toman to record, in bits and pieces, what would become a full-length, eleven-song album.
Chellew is a minister by training, having led the Jubilee Circle congregation for a number of years before stepping away from that commitment. That background appears throughout the new album via a thread of spiritual awareness on songs such as the opening track “Native Word,” a strummy singalong about “La, la, la, la, love.” Idealistic? Absolutely, but the enthusiasm is infectious, as is that chorus, assisted by harmony vocals from The Runout’s Jeff and Kelley Gregory.
There are some seriously great musical moments here, from the full-hearted “Dance Anyway” to the nostalgia-soaked closer “Walking Home,” that approach a kind of earnest lo-fi indie rock sweetness, as if The Indigo Girls recorded for K Records, where catchy choruses from bands such as Beat Happening were often swathed in unconventional but memorable sounds.
The subjects of her songwriting are not always serious, however. Chellew’s irreverent sense of humor is present in songs such as “Sweet Tea and Jesus,” which opines about the two things that can save us here in the American South. Then there’s “GURU,” where the narrator seeks out life advice from a guru who just says to “spell it: Gee, you are you—you are your own guru,” while Chellew and band crank up the guitars and have a grand old time.
That communal feeling permeates the proceedings, with multiple friends and fellow musicians popping up to sing background vocals and various instruments, from Katie Godfrey and Kelley Porterfield to Chellew’s wife Beth DeHart and Larry Farina on drums and percussion. Toman adds guitars, keyboards and more to his production duties to round out the arrangements.
There’s a loose and limber vibe here that’s less polished and slick than some might prefer, but it fits Chellew’s heartfelt fervor and feels authentic, something that’s lacking in much of today’s AI-infected music. Here’s to musical friends and families making music that reflects their very real lives.
Check out Candace’s YouTube channel.
“Native Word” – Live at Uncle Fester’s Songwriters in the Round night
“Sweet Tea and Jesus” – From Uncle Fester’s Songwriters in the Round night
Photos from the Dreamer Awake album release party on July 11, 2026:
Album release night lineup:
Guitar/Lead vocals: Candace Chellew
Drums/Percussion: Beth DeHart and Larry Farina
Lead Guitar: Zach Toman and Bruce Clark
Bass: Steven Van Haren
Keyboards: Amy Quint
Backing vocals: Kelley Porterfield and Katie Godfrey
Photo credits: Perry Mcleod and Brodie Porterfield
Album credits:
Released June 25, 2026
Produced and mastered by: Zach Toman
Music/Lyrics: Candace Chellew (BMI)
“I’ll Be a Song,” written by Candace Chellew, Beth DeHart and Michael Reisman
Lead vocals/Acoustic guitar: Candace Chellew
Drums: Beth DeHart and Larry Farina
Electric guitar, bass, keyboards, string arrangements: Zach Toman
Backing vocals: Beth DeHart (I’ll Be a Song, GURU), Larry Farina (GURU, Sweet Tea & Jesus), Katie Godfrey (Do Not Disturb, 2:51 A.M., Sweet Tea and Jesus, Dance Anyway, GURU), Jeff Gregory (Native Word), Kelley Gregory (Native Word), Kelley Porterfield (Dreamer Awake, Homesick, Walking Home, GURU)
Cover artwork: Michael Shepard
Back cover photo: Candace Chellew
Graphic design: Kimber Carpenter
All songs copyrighted 2026 by Candace Chellew
