Crooked Tree (album)
| Crooked Tree | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1, 2022 | |||
| Studio | Oceanway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Bluegrass | |||
| Length | 42:27 | |||
| Label | Nonesuch | |||
| Producer | Jerry Douglas, Molly Tuttle | |||
| Molly Tuttle chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Crooked Tree | ||||
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Crooked Tree is the third studio album by American bluegrass singer and musician Molly Tuttle. Released on April 1, 2022, it is Tuttle's first album for Nonesuch Records and the first to feature her band Golden Highway, who receive star billing. The album was co-produced by Tuttle and dobro player Jerry Douglas and includes collaborations with Margo Price, Billy Strings, Old Crow Medicine Show, Sierra Hull, Dan Tyminski and Gillian Welch.[1] It was preceded by the single "She'll Change", which was released on November 17, 2021.[2]
The album received positive reviews from critics and won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards and also contributed towards Tuttle being nominated for the all-genre Grammy Award for Best New Artist.[3] Tuttle also received five nominations at the 2022 International Bluegrass Music Awards based on the strength of the album, winning Female Vocalist of the Year.[4] In addition, it won Album of the Year at the 2023 International Folk Music Awards.[5]
Background
[edit]The album was announced on January 20, 2022. It was recorded live at Oceanway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee and was inspired by Tuttle's father, a music teacher and multi-instrumentalist who provides backing vocals on the closing track, and her grandfather, a banjo player. Of the album's creation, Tuttle stated: "Once I started writing, everything flowed so easily: sometimes I've felt an internal pressure to come up with a sound no one's heard before, but this time my intention was just to make an album that reflected the music that's been passed down through generations in my family. I found a way to do that while writing songs that feel true to who I am, and it really helped me to grow as a songwriter."[6]
Margo Price was chosen to appear on the track "Flatland Girl" because she and Tuttle had a similar childhood, having both grown up on farms. Tuttle wanted a "Midwestern girl" to accompany her on the song and learned about Price's family farm after reading an interview. Old Crow Medicine Show feature on the song "Big Backyard", which marks the second time Tuttle has collaborated with the band after frontman Ketch Secor appeared on "Olympia, WA", a song on her previous album. Tuttle and Secor co-wrote the song together and she explained that "We wrote it with them in mind, and then reworked the lyrics to make it fit my voice".[7] In a press release about the song, Tuttle explained that it was inspired by Woody Guthrie, noting "I wish that Woody Guthrie were still around. I'd love to hear the songs he would write about the crazy world we're living in today. But since he's not, Ketch Secor and I wrote the best Woody Guthrie song we could think of."[8] Regarding the album's title track, Tuttle explained: "I wrote that song with my friend Melody Walker. We had seen a quote by Tom Waits. It kind of said like, when they chop down the trees in a forest, the crooked trees are the ones left standing."[9]
Tuttle and Golden Highway promoted the album by performing "Crooked Tree", "She'll Change" and "Over the Line" on CBS Saturday Morning on April 9, 2022.[10]
The deluxe version of the album was released on December 2, 2022, and featured four bonus tracks: a cover of "Dire Wolf" by Grateful Dead, a rendition of the traditional folk song "Cold Rain and Snow" and live versions of "Dooley's Farm" featuring Jerry Douglas and "Castelleja", both recorded at Nashville's Station Inn.[11][12]
Critical reception
[edit]At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 80, based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13] It received a four star review from Neil Spencer at The Guardian, who stated that the album "looks destined to establish [Tuttle] with a wider audience" and praised the "heavyweight" guests such as Douglas, Welch and Old Crow, the "phenomenal" musicianship from Tuttle and the band and the "modern" interpretation of bluegrass.[14]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She'll Change" | 2:41 | |
| 2. | "Flatland Girl" (featuring Margo Price) |
| 2:35 |
| 3. | "Dooley's Farm" (featuring Billy Strings) |
| 3:41 |
| 4. | "Big Backyard" (featuring Old Crow Medicine Show) |
| 3:17 |
| 5. | "Crooked Tree" |
| 3:52 |
| 6. | "Castilleja" |
| 3:16 |
| 7. | "The River Knows" |
| 3:33 |
| 8. | "Over the Line" (featuring Sierra Hull) |
| 3:01 |
| 9. | "Nashville Mess Around" |
| 2:32 |
| 10. | "San Francisco Blues" (featuring Dan Tyminski) |
| 4:04 |
| 11. | "Goodbye Girl" |
| 3:21 |
| 12. | "Side Saddle" (featuring Gillian Welch) |
| 2:44 |
| 13. | "Grass Valley" |
| 3:50 |
| Total length: | 42:27 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Cold Rain and Snow" | Traditional | 4:24 |
| 15. | "Dire Wolf" | 3:32 | |
| 16. | "Dooley's Farm" (live, featuring Jerry Douglas) |
| 4:35 |
| 17. | "Castilleja" (live) |
| 6:47 |
| Total length: | 60:65 | ||
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from AllMusic.[15]
- Molly Tuttle – lead vocals, backing vocals, guitar, production
Golden Highway
- Bronwyn Keith-Hynes – fiddle
- Dominick Leslie – mandolin
- Shelby Means – bass
- Kyle Tuttle – banjo
Other musicians
- Tina Adair – backing vocals
- Darol Anger – fiddle
- Ron Block – banjo, guitar, backing vocals
- Mike Bub – upright bass
- Jason Carter – fiddle
- Jerry Douglas – dobro, backing vocals, production
- Mike Harris – banjo
- Sierra Hull – vocals, mandolin
- Morgan Jahnig – upright bass
- Viktor Krauss – upright bass
- Lindsay Lou - backing vocals
- Old Crow Medicine Show – backing vocals, various instruments
- Jerry Pentecost – drums, backing vocals
- Todd Phillips – upright bass
- Margo Price – vocals
- Christian Sedelmyer – fiddle
- Billy Strings – vocals, guitar
- Jack Tuttle – vocals
- Dan Tyminski – vocals
- Mason Via – guitjo, mandolin, backing vocals
- Melody Walker – backing vocals
- Gillian Welch – vocals
- Cory Younts – harmonica
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Country Albums (OCC)[16] | 5 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[17] | 12 |
| US Top Bluegrass Albums (Billboard)[18] | 2 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Molly Tuttle Recruits Margo Price, Billy Strings for New Album 'Crooked Tree'". Rolling Stone. January 21, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "Molly Tuttle Celebrates a Woman Who Lives by Her Own Rules in 'She'll Change'". Rolling Stone. November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees Lists". GRAMMY.com. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "2022 IBMA Bluegrass Award winners". Bluegrass Today. September 29, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ Paul Grein (February 1, 2023). "Janis Ian, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway Win Top Awards at 2023 International Folk Music Awards: Full List". Billboard.
- ^ "Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway's Album 'Crooked Tree' Due April 1 on Nonesuch Records". Nonesuch Records. January 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "Molly Tuttle Talks Best New Artist, Best Bluegrass Album Grammy Nominations: 'I Was Shocked'". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "Molly Tuttle preps LP ft. Margo Price, Gillian Welch, Old Crow Medicine Show & more, touring". BrooklynVegan. March 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
- ^ "How guitarist and singer Molly Tuttle became a bluegrass music star". PBS. June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
- ^ "Watch: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway Perform on 'CBS Saturday Morning'". Nonesuch Records. April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ "Molly Tuttle Shares 'Crooked Tree' Deluxe Album". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ^ "Molly Tuttle Releases Deluxe Version of Grammy-Nominated Album 'Crooked Tree,' Video for "Nashville Mess Around"". Nonesuch Records. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
- ^ "Crooked Tree by Molly Tutte". Metacritic. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "Crooked Tree by Molly Tuttle review – classy bluegrass for modern America". The Guardian. April 2, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "Crooked Tree". AllMusic. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ "Molly Tuttle Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ^ "Molly Tuttle Chart History (Top Bluegrass Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2022.