Kentucky native Sierra Hull is a masterful bluegrass mandolin player as evidenced by the many honors she has received, the places she has performed, and those she has accompanied. Hull is a six-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)Mandolin Player of the Year award winner and has been nominated for a Best Folk Album Grammy, played prestigious gigs at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Grand Ole Opry, and the White House, and collaborated with notable talents including Dolly Parton, Brandi Carlile, and Billy Strings.
Hull recently left her long-time label, Rounder Records, with whom she had been affiliated since she was 13. She just released her fourth studio album, A Tip Toe High. As its title indicates, Hull sees this project as a balancing act. With one foot in old-time acoustic music and another in contemporary Americana, Hull does not want to take a wrong step and fall. Her talent on the mandolin provides a safety net.
Hull always plays with passion. Even on slower-paced songs, such as her tale of woe about the unlucky in love and life gal named “Spitfire”, the Kentuckian’s mandolin rings with life. This provides a telling counterpoint to the narrative about dead husbands and babies, poverty, and bad luck. Hull’s mandolin expresses the resiliency and dignity of the protagonist being celebrated for just surviving.
Hull wrote or co-wrote all ten tracks and produced the album. She has a sweet and earnest voice that glides over the instrumentation. She delivers the lyrics with sincerity and heart, not to mention a honeyed Kentucky drawl. However, the words can be too smooth and formulaic (“Redbird out my window won’t you please take me with you when you go”, “What is true? Truth be told, I don’t know”) instead of surprising.
Her co-writers include Adam Wright, Pat McLaughlin, Andrew Petroff, Caroline Spence, Eric Gibson, Henry Brill, and Heather Morgan. But Hull is in charge here and assumes responsibility for the regularity of tone. The songs blend too much even when they move at different tempos. That may be a residual problem inherent in her bluegrass roots, a genre known for its prescribed standards. A bit more variation in mood would help accent her talents. Even a virtuoso can sound repetitive.
Musically, Hull plays mandolin, octave mandolin, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and provides lead and harmony vocals. She’s abetted a dozen artists including Béla Fleck, Tim O’Brien, and Aoife O’Donovan, but this is her showcase. The best songs, such as “Boom” and “Come Out of My Blues”, focus on the interactions between Hull and her musical instrument. The two come together as one while the others decorate the proceedings. The additional musicians take turns showing off or singing in harmony, which allows Hull to shine.
One watches high-wire acts because one never knows when the artist might slip. Hull may think she’s taking risks, but her gifts offer too much protection to make one feel the danger. The record succeeds because it affords comfort. There is a lot of good music to hear. Sierra Hull is too good an artist to fall, but the results would be more exciting if she stumbled a bit.