West Virginia bred, Nashville-based artist, Sierra Ferrell, announces her highly-anticipated debut for Rounder, Long Time Coming, to be released on August 20. The album, which features a dozen songs written or co-written by Ferrell, embodies the fierce eclecticism and individuality of a musician and songwriter who utterly defies categorization. “I want my music to be like my mind is-all over the place,” says Ferrell. “I listen to everything from bluegrass to techno to goth metal, and it all inspires me in different ways that I try to incorporate into my songs and make people really feel something.”
Co-produced by 10-time Grammy Award-winner, Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Sarah Jarosz), and Australian musician, Stu Hibberd, and recorded at Nashville’s Southern Ground and Minutia studios, Long Time Coming stakes out new sonic territory where tango rhythms, bluegrass picking, jazz phrasing, and classic country intersect to create something that feels wholly original.
Ferrell was joined in the studio by a remarkable array of guest musicians including, Billy Strings, Sarah Jarosz, Dennis Crouch, Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Chris Scruggs, and Rory Hoffman, who added entirely new texture to each of her gracefully crafted and undeniably heartfelt songs.
The Sea, a haunting and hypnotic tale of scorned love that opens the album, is available today as a single. Writing in Holler, Amanda Wicks noted, “Translating the magic of an artist’s magnetic stage show isn’t an easy task… For some, though, the medium doesn’t inhibit their musical inclinations — it buoys it. Sierra Ferrell earned attention from Rounder Records thanks to her entrancing live shows, but luckily, translating that presence to a record only meant letting Ferrell continue to be herself in all her wandering, whimsical glory.”
The striking companion video, which uses chiaroscuro lighting and a muted, moody colour palette to illuminate Ferrell against a stark black background, powerfully conveys the longing and quiet desolation of the song. Watch the video here.
A lifelong singer, Ferrell got her start performing in a local bar when she was only seven years old. When she was in her early 20s, a chance encounter with a troupe of nomadic musicians inspired her to leave home and join them as they traveled across the country, playing everywhere from freight train boxcars to truck stops. After a few years spent busking on the streets of Seattle and New Orleans, she decided to make the move to Nashville. She was immediately welcomed into its vibrant music community and soon after her arrival, she began taking the stage at festivals like At the Beach and AmericanaFest. Through her association with Stu Hibberd, she came to the attention of Paczosa and the team at Rounder and signed with the label in late 2019.
Though a relative newcomer, Ferrell has captured the imagination of music fans, many of whom first encountered her via performance videos on YouTube. A rendition of fan favorite In Dreams that was filmed for GemsOnVHS has racked up more than four million views, while Jeremiah, the first single released from Long Time Coming recently surpassed a million audio streams.
Ferrell is planning an extensive tour of the United States which will start this summer and extend into next year. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.
