A Tip Toe High Wire (Self-released, 2025)

Singer, songwriter and mandolinist Sierra Hull issued her first album in five years, her first independent release and the first with her touring band for "A Tip Toe HIgh Wire." Hull's touring band includes guitarist Shaun Richardson, fiddler Avery Merritt, bassist Erik Coveney and drummer Mark Raudabaugh. Hull plays mandolin, octave mandolin, acoustic and electric guitars and sings lead and harmony vocals. She wrote the 10 songs, most with co-writers.

The single "Spitfire," which shows her terrific acoustic guitar picking, is an ode to her 80-year-old grandmother. The album title comes from this lyric - "She's a spitfire, spitfire/Queen of a tiptoe high wire." Opener "Boom" plays to infectious guitar riff and features her virtuosic mandolin picking. "Come Out of My Blues" was written with John Prine cohort Pat McLaughlin. The odd melody is strengthened with the harmony vocals of Tim O"Brien. "Lord, That's Along Way" shows her band going full tilt, after a rhythmic riff, which introduces each instrument at a time.

The rousing "Let's Go," about mustering the energy when feeling exhausted, as so often happens during touring. Aoife O'Donovan harmonizes, giving it a special spark. Another rapid flyer is "E Tune," played in that key and named for her bassist friend Ethan Jodziewicz, with the unmistakable banjo of Bela Fleck.

"Truth Be Told" is stripped down with Hull on acoustic guitar and mandolin joined by Justin Moses on resophonic guitar. Co-written with Eric Gibson, lyrically it attempts to celebrate the new year and be optimistic, but just can't get there - "Heal my broken mind, remind me what is true/What is true?Truth be told, I don't know." Hull had her grandmother in mind when writing "Redbird," a slower paced lovely folk song where Moses exerts a prominent presence and Hull shuns her mandolin in favor of guitars. The album closes beautifully with the full band and Ronnie Bowman on harmonies for "Haven Hill," in memory of her mother-in-law.

Hull strikes a fine balance between well-crafted songs and the superb musicianship that she and her band are known for.