Crooked Tree in Bloomington, MN

The talented multi-instrumentalist's
Nonesuch
debut,
Crooked Tree
, marks the studio debut of
Molly Tuttle
's bluegrass collective
Golden Highway
.
Tuttle
's prior two efforts, 2019's
When You're Ready
and 2020's
...But I'd Rather Be with You
, were bluegrass-adjacent affairs, with the former exploring country-folk and Americana and the latter delivering a set of eclectic covers.
's core consists of
on six-string, banjo player
Kyle Tuttle
(no relation), fiddler
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
, bassist
Shelby Means
, and mandolin player
Dominick Leslie
surrounds the group with a murderers' row of genre greats, including "newgrass" vets
Viktor Krauss
and
Jerry Douglas
, the latter of whom also co-produced the album. With guest spots from
Margo Price
,
Billy Strings
Old Crow Medicine Show
Sierra Hull
Dan Tyminski
, and
Gillian Welch
can feel a little busy, but the playing is reliably top-notch, and the songs, which approach trad-bluegrass themes from a female perspective, are both potent and timely. ~ James Christopher Monger