So, here's a question. What were you doing when you were 13 years old? Me, I was playing kickball and trading baseball cards. (Wish I still had those!) Why is it that some people have such a clear path illuminated for them? Sierra Hull was already on her way at age 11, when Alison Krauss called her to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry to perform with her. Sierra signed her first record deal at 13, with Rounder Records, and for the decade the bluegrass world has been her home. The yearning came to reinvent, to explore, to push free, and at 24, with the aid of producer Bela Fleck, Sierra Hull has released the abum Weighted Mind. It is a major move toward artistic freedom.
This music is effortless, elegant, evocative. Bluegrass instrumentation and foundation gets new life breathed into it to become an orchestral expression. There are no structural limits. The coloration of the instruments, the voices, the interplay, all of this is simply delicious. Sierra Hull’s exploration is a testament to human restlessness. I can’t wait to see where her music takes her next.
Music Fog filmed Sierra Hull, along with Ethan Jodziewicz on upright bass and Justin Moses on banjo, at 3rd & Lindsley Backstage this past January. Here they are performing one of my favorite songs on the new album, "Queen Of Hearts/Royal Tea." Catch this trio on tour this spring. Enjoy, let your imagination run free.
- Jessie Scott