Sierra Hull - 'Secrets'

It must be intimidating to live up to the "prodigy" label once it's been lumped on you. But, 16-year-old Sierra Hull doesn't seem to have any problem living up to that expectation on her highly anticipated Rounder Records debut, Secrets.

Great Instrumentation, Great Songs

I won't be the first (or last) to liken Hull's natural mandolin picking skills to Alison Krauss' command of the fiddle. It's hard to not draw that correlation, and that may be Hull's one major hurdle going forward: getting out of the shadow of the comparison. Her sweet, easy soprano even harkens to Krauss' early records. Granted, Secrets also welcomes AKUS members like Dan Tyminski, Ron Block, and Jerry Douglas.

Indeed, the measure of a great musician is often their ability to surround themselves with the best players they can find. Hull is also joined this time around by Tony Rice, Jim Van Cleve...the personnel listing for this album reads like a who's who of contemporary bluegrass. It would be shocking if this group of people produced anything less than a stellar album. Naturally, as it turns out, Secrets is an exquisite, impressive debut.

Sierra Hull Is a Natural

Not all the credit can be handed out to her studio bandmates, though. Hull's playing has a natural soul, an intuitive arc. She knows where to go with her instrument, when to push harder, when to back off. When dueting with Van Cleve on "Smashville" (purchase/download), she strikes an impressive balance of complementing his extraordinary gift with her own. Sure, part of that is Van Cleve, but it takes two to tango. Hull is a natural, and there's hardly a misplaced note in the whole bunch.

Other highlights of the album include the lovely hymn "Trust and Obey" (purchase/download), and the romping bluegrass chug of "From Now On" (purchase/download). There's a lot of heartbreak on this album, and "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" (purchase/download) is one of the most memorable among them. Hull's solo is surprising and playful, capturing the earnestness and sarcasm inherent in the lyrics. It's this level of intuition that makes Secrets an exceptional debut. Sierra Hull is, undeniably, an artist to watch.