Fervor Coulee Bluegrass Blog

Becky Buller Songs That Sing Me review

Donald Teplyske  |  November 21, 2025

Becky Buller has been prominent in bluegrass circles for more than twenty years, moving from her Minnesota base to (if I am not misremembering) play with Valerie Smith much of a lifetime ago. That association proved fruitful to both Smith—who recorded some of her finest music during the period—and Buller whose profile continued to grow while with and after departing Smith's band, eventually culminating in duel International Bluegrass Music Awards of 2016 as Fiddler and Female Vocalist of the Year.

Buller has released several albums over the years and while I remain partial to 2004's "Little Bird" (and especially "Opal, Ruby, and Pearl") I realize it is me who is stuck in the past; Buller's music, songwriting, and business arcanum have allowed her to consistently grow as an artist and positive influence within the industry. Her live presence is charming, engaged, and affable, and her live sets are among the most appealing I've witnessed over the past several years. Last year she released the impressive song cycle "Jubilee," a collection of songs inspired by her challenges with depression and anxiety.

Along comes late summer 2025 and the long-awaited release of "Songs That Sing Me," a set of pop, rock, and bluegrass covers. Once upon a time, many bluegrass albums were collections of covers of popular songs, well-loved by both the performers and their potential audience. Over the years, naturally, original material became de rigour to ensure the vibrancy and relevancy of bluegrass, and this was welcome. A curated album of covers is now a rare thing, I find.

A handful of songs feature members of The Becky Buller Band with the majority featuring Buller leading a band of some of the finest musicians and vocalists bluegrass offers. Featured guests on individual tracks include Stuart Duncan, Jeremy Stephens, Chris Eldridge, Cheryl and Sharon White with Ricky Skaggs, Dan Tyminski, and Mickey Harris with the Béla Fleck-Abigial Washburn family joining Buller and her daughter on James Taylor's Sesame Street contribution "Jellyman Kelly."

Ned Luberecki provides much of the banjo with bandmates Jacob Groopman, Daniel Harden, and Wes Lee appearing on covers of Simon & Garfunkel/The Bangles ("A Hazy Shade of Winter" ,) Dry Branch Fire Squad ("Auction At the Home Place," a Mike Henderson song,) and Kimmel & Co. ("Ride On By.") Taylor's "Millworker" substitutes Jake Eddy's guitar for Groopman's.

Additional highlights include the Buller-Jim Lauderdale duet of the Reno & Smiley classic "Wall Around You Heart" and the uplifting and album closing "Reach," from the catalogue of Orleans, but better known to 'grass types via New Grass Revival. Fans of bluegrass songs of faith will be pleased by the inclusion of "The Outlaw" and "Camel Train," the song that features Skaggs and the Whites.

Buller plays fiddle throughout while setting it aside for some clawhammer frailing on "Camel Train." Naturally, she sings the lead parts.

Without doubt, "Songs That Sing Me" is a quality, well-produced and performed modern bluegrass album. Realize though, most of the selections have been released across the past two years on various digital EPs and singles, the earliest track being the Lauderdale duet which was released more than two years ago. Like a cherished mixtape from long ago, "Songs That Sing Me" captures more than moments in time. The collection reveals some of the songs that have inspired Becky Buller across decades while allowing her to celebrate her gifts and chosen career with musical collaborators of the quality most can only imagine having as contacts in our phones. Suggested starting places: "Reach," "Muddy Waters" (The Seldom Scene,) "Wall Around Your Heart," and "A Hazy Shade of Winter"