Bluegrass rising star and mandolin prodigy Sierra Hull recently released the first independent album of her career, "A Tip Toe on High Wire". The result is a fascinating journey through her life bringing upbeat melodies and high positive energy with incredible mandolin playing and vocals.
While Sierra Hull has had a vast musically journey so far (she met a lot of musicians and her career truly kicked off when she was around nine years old) the 33-year-old has just released the first independent album she produced entirely by herself called "A Tip Toe on High Wire". While the album only has 10 tracks, it's short and sweet, and a beacon for artists who are trying to do their own thing in today's complex musical industry that's dominated by record labels.
The album is a also a major change of pace for Sierra, and those that have followed her career since the beginning can understand this statement very well. It's one of the first time she's with a full touring band, complete even with drums. Sierra has always been more of a traditional bluegrass performer and not a true fan of the drums (as most bluegrass musicians can align with), however, songs on the new record support drums and more musical instruments that sound incredibly well together.
The first song on the record, the first single and one of the first songs she recorded for the album, "Boom", supports this as every member of the new band is on full display here. The song is a true representation of the album because it's about good energy and good feelings. We all need to take a step back and let the sunshine in, Sierra says.
The entire album maybe also influenced by Sierra's grandmother, who passed away recently, and is a major influence for her song "Spitfire". "I can be a bit of a spit fire myself," Sierra quoted about the song. While Sierra's grandmother unfortunately never listened to the completed version, Sierra did let her know she was writing a song about her.
The album is also highlighted by tunes like "Come Out Of My Blues", which again is about more positive energy and is more of a bluegrass melody. Our favorite song of the album is the faced past "Let's Go", which is about extensive touring and 'getting yourself pumped up for a tour', Sierra quotes. Indeed one year she remembers playing 200 songs and visiting Kansas City at least three times on that tour and Colorado several which lyrics in the song say.
The entire album is incredible and the best release so far of 2025. It's a staple of what bluegrass music has become and every song is enjoyable to listen to. What truly shines on the album is not just Sierra's incredible mandolin playing, but her vocals on nearly every song. Her vocals perfectly match the mandolin sound and are better than any other record she's produced so far.
A+
Below: Sierra Hull band performs 'Let's Go' for Rolling Stone interview 2025:
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