Sierra Ferrell – Trail of Flowers
“Wake up again in an old motel, is it somewhere different I can’t tell/Every set of curtains opens to the open road.” This image leads off Sierra Ferrell’s spectacular new album, and It’s maybe the most fascinating lyric on Trail of Flowers, because it captures an artist at both an unexpected peak (touring – successfully – in a world where being a music maker is as difficult as it’s ever been), yet unable to fully enjoy the spoils of moderate success. Because, in 2024, even when seemingly in a moment of new-found comfort, musicians can’t ever let up on the gas, not ever for a moment – the itinerance has become permanent. In Ferrell’s case, though, she’s created an album – and, hopefully, a place for herself – that’s indispensably authentic.
“American Dreaming,” that first track on Trail of Flowers, feels like something you’d have heard on your 70s AM radio (well before hateful talk shows took over the dial), and it shows off Ferrell’s voice, as well as an old-school take on self-love – “I’d take better care of myself, I’d stop drinking from the bottom shelf.” The album’s next cut, “Dollar Bill Bar,” is equally emblematic of Ferrell’s timelessness, as it could (should!) be a fixture on country radio today – light twang, lovely harmonies from Kristen Rogers and Nikki Lane, and a warning to the smitten boy on the next barstool – “So don’t look too close at the dollar bills…You may see my name is written there then you know I’ve been here before.”
After attacking (and conquering) a couple of recent country eras, Ferrell dips further into her roots with “Fox Hunt,” an old-school, fiddle-filled rave-up that peers back to a time when the singers not-too-distant predecessors made their own way in life – “Rumbling belly, shaking limbs, we’re gonna try and make a stand/No we’re not going anywhere without a prize from the land.” That (very literal) kind of hunger is matched – maybe exceeded – in “Chittlin’ Cookin’ Time in Cheatham County.” The none-too-modern take on a 1930s Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith tune honors the legacy of enslaved folks who had to make the best of the very, VERY little they were given. As Ferrell herself says, it serves as a reminder of “what’s happened in the past and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.” True to form, though, she still makes it swing.
What would an old time-hewing, era-spanning country record be without a murder ballad? “Rosemary” scratches that particular itch with a story of romantic treachery and revenge – “So I made me a garden/I dug it in the morning/And underneath that flower bush/Well, Rosemary waits for you” – spiked with Ferrell’s best acoustic work on the album. “Lighthouse,” on the other hand, is a much gentler take on romance. With fiddle, mandolin, and gorgeous harmonies, the singer is looking for the person (or place?) that makes her feel at home – “Could you be the lighthouse for my soul?” For listeners seeking country with a musically progressive bent, Trail of Flowers is that lighthouse. And for those looking for something old-timey, the record is a road home.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Fox Hunt” – simply an old-fashioned, foot-stompin’, sing-along good time.
Trail of Flowers was produced, recorded and mixed by Eddie Spear (“Lighthouse” produced, recorded and mixed by Gary Paczosa) and mastered by Paul Blakemore. All original songs written by Sierra Ferrell, with co-writes going to Melody Walker and Lindsay Lou. Musicians on the album include Ferrell (vocals, acoustic guitar, fiddle), Aksel Coe (drums, percussion), Seth Taylor (banjo, electric guitar, acoustic guitar), Geoff Saunders (bass, acoustic guitar, harmony, backing and gang vocals), Thorleifur Gaukur Davidsson (steel guitar, harmonica), Mike Rojas (piano, vibraphone, celeste), Billy Contreras (fiddle, string section, string arranger), Chris Scruggs (acoustic guitar, lap steel), Oliver Bates Craven (acoustic guitar, fiddle, harmony, backing and gang vocals), Joshua Rilko (mandolin, harmony and gang vocals), and Melody Walker, Lukas Nelson, Kristen Rogers and Nikki Lane (backing vocals).
Go here to buy Trail of Flowers: https://rounder.com/collections/sierra-ferrell
Check out tour dates here: https://www.sierraferrellmusic.com/tour
Find our previous coverage here: Show Review: Sierra Ferrell at Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville on NYE
