Trail of Flowers

Sierra Ferrell kicks off her latest album with ‘American Dreaming’, ‘one of several songs co-written with… frequent collaborator Melody Walker (Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Della Mae).’ The song opens with the West Virginia-born, Nashville-based artist’s distinctly sharp, frequently fluttering voice, describing the double-edged nature of working as a touring musician. ‘If I could just get back home to pick up where we left off / I’d take better care of myself, I’d stop drinking from the bottom shelf / But my old wheels keep spinning.’ A full complement of luminous Nashville session musicians including Chris Scruggs and Lukas Nelson propel the music forward with the perfect mix of polished twang and pop country groove. At a whirling hootenanny pace, ‘Fox Hunt’ expresses Ferrell’s yearning for the good ol’ mountain life as well as her appreciation of old-time country music. With echoes of ‘St James Infirmary’, Ferrell’s cover of Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith’s ‘Chitlin’ Cooking Time in Cheatham County’ harkens to the singer’s stints as a busker on the streets of New Orleans and Seattle. All in all, Trail of Flowers encapsulates the qualities that have catapulted Ferrell to the forefront of the country roots scene.