It should have been a match made in heaven when singer-songwriters Sarah Elizabeth and Bryce Cole met in a Nashville studio just over 2 years ago. But just months into their relationship, the young mother of three was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of kidney cancer. Now, both in artistic defiance of the disease and in an effort to support Sarah’s on-going care, the couple have tapped the considerable talents of their East Nashville community to craft a stunning new EP to aid their cause. “These are our songs,” Elizabeth explains, “we wrote most of them together over the last couple of years. But we could not have brought them to life like this without the help of some amazing musicians and friends who literally dropped everything to make this happen. I can’t wait for everyone to hear them. This is the sound of our story.”

Sarah Elizabeth knew she wanted to pursue music when she moved from her native Illinois to Nashville a decade ago. With three rambunctious children from a previous challenging marriage to care for, however, the opportunity to find her own creative path never presented itself. It wasn’t until she met Bryce Cole, a former basketball coach turned singer-songwriter from Dallas, that sparks began to fly, both musically and romantically. Her three boys, William (8), Jude (6), and Eliot (4) took to Bryce like a second father, and the couple began working on making their musical dreams a reality. “I know it sounds like a cliché,” Cole admits, “but it’s absolutely true. When I saw Sarah I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. When I heard her sing I knew that I wanted to make music with her for as long as there was breath in my lungs. I came to Nashville with a set of musical dreams and ideas, and then I met Sarah and everything changed on the spot.”

Tragically, within weeks of their first real “date” Sarah and her newfound family were dealt a devastating blow. She was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma; a rare and malignant form of kidney cancer which was already advanced and hard to treat. Months of scans, chemotherapy, experimental treatments, hospital visits, and health complications followed. But despite the ordeal that Sarah and her loved ones have endured, they have determined to bring positivity and life to this harrowing journey.

A growing community of friends and fans have rallied around Sarah, Bryce, and the boys in the form of financial support and constant prayers and encouragement. A special campaign even managed to raise enough funds to send them to Disney World this fall. The two have performed several concerts together under the name “The Coles,” which will become legal when they are married in late August. [which became legal when the two were married this August.]

Though their debut EP, Caught In A Dream, candidly deals with the trauma and hope of cultivating love while battling cancer, it somehow manages to remain uplifting and inspiring all the while. “Every relationship will face some kind of pain,” Elizabeth considers. “This is journey we’re on, but this is certainly not a ‘Cancer Album.’ It’s more like a painfully realistic love album,” she says with a laugh. While musical influences such as The Lumineers, the Avett Brothers, and Johnnyswim can certainly be found, the chemistry of The Coles is unique indeed. Producer Stephen Leiweke assembled a top-drawer band, including bassist Chris Donohue (Emmylou Harris, Over The Rhine) [ADD OTHER PLAYERS AND CREDITS HERE] “We had high hopes for this record,” Elizabeth admits, “and honestly it turned out better than we even dreamed that it would. The musicians really embraced each song as if it was their own.” Bryce agrees. “I kind of expected these professional guys to just show up and play well,” he says, “but they came and really invested in the songs. They crawled inside each track and left their own mark on each part. It was an amazing thing to see and experience.”

Leiweke, who has recorded hundreds of albums for artists big and small, definitely approached this project as something special. “We all knew the story that Sarah and Bryce were living,” he adds, “and we were determined to present these five excellent songs in the best possible way. They set the bar pretty high by writing such strong songs. The whole experience has been very special.”

Despite an uncertain prognosis for their future, this young family are determined to make the most of whatever time they have left together. "You got to pursue it every day, and I think that's what we're learning," says Cole. "This can beat you down, but we're choosing happiness. We're choosing hope. We're choosing faith."

You can buy the new single “Caught In A Dream” here.
Or contribute to Sarah’s GoFundMe Page.