Sierra Hull: 25 Trips
Americana singer-songwriter and mandolin virtuoso Sierra Hull explores the passage of time on 25 Trips, the 28-year-old’s fifth album. Where 2016’s Weighted Mind, which was produced by Béla Fleck, featured sparse arrangements, 25 Trips is a dense, full-band affair that displays Hull’s range as a singer and instrumentalist. The title track, built on a jazzy, mandolin-driven arrangement, recalls Hull’s 25th year, when she released the Grammy-nominated Weighted Mind and married bluegrass musician Justin Moses. “Hello time, will you slow down?” Hull sings. “This is the best day of my life right now/ Hello time, are you listenin’?/ If I close my eyes, I’ll be missing it/ If you hear me, will you slow down?” On the other end of the spectrum, the hymn- and gospel-inspired album-closer “Father Time” was written after Hull and Moses went to take care of Moses’ grandma, who has Alzheimer’s, after his grandpa suffered a stroke on Christmas morning. “But the way that you love her,” Hull sings to her husband, “Makes me love you even more/ How lucky we both are to be yours.” The hypnotic and driving “How Long,” one of the album’s highlights, wouldn’t sound out of place coming from the bluegrass supergroup I’m With Her, with whom Hull has collaborated in the past. Elsewhere, Hull showcases the bluegrass bonafides (and a fiery mandolin solo) that she’s been cultivating since she signed to Rounder Records when she was just 13. With 25 Trips, Hull has fulfilled that promise—and then some.
