Molly Tuttle has released the first track from her forthcoming studio album, the high-octane She’ll Change, which pays tribute to a “badass woman who lives by her own rules”.
The acoustic guitar virtuoso is on top form for the track’s unrelenting bluegrass passages, delivering almost three minutes of hypnotic blues licks and sumptuous open-string melodies that weave throughout the instrumentation, which makes room for delicate vocal harmonies and string motifs.
She’ll Change was written by Tuttle and Old Crow Medicine Show frontman Ketch Secor, and was performed by a collective of Nashville musicians, including Ron Block, Michael “Mike” Bub, Jason Carter, Dominick Leslie and Tina Adair, as well as Jerry Douglas, who co-produced the song with Tuttle.
It will feature on Tuttle’s as-yet-untitled album, which is set to be her debut LP for Nonesuch Records.
When released, it will be Tuttle’s first studio outing since last year’s cover efforts – ...but I’d rather be with you and ...but I’d rather be with you, too – and her first record to feature original material after 2019’s When You’re Ready.
“I’ve always loved the rare bluegrass songs that are sung by women about women,” said Tuttle. “Songs like It’s Hard to Tell the Singer from the Song by Hazel Dickens, and Ellie by Kathy Kallick.
“I wanted to write my own bluegrass song about a badass woman who lives by her own rules. She’ll Change is my homage to the strong musical woman who helped me find my own voice.”
It’s also been announced that Tuttle and her band of bluegrass instrumentalists – called the Golden Highway, which comprises Dominick Leslie, Kyle Tuttle, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Shelby Means – will embark on a tour of the US in support of the album next year.
The stint round the country will commence on January 21 in Seattle and conclude on March 13 in Chattanooga.
To find out more, head over to Nonesuch Records.
