Today, Sierra Ferrell invites listeners to join her on a beautifully untamed and time-bending journey through the Trail of Flowers. Announced this morning and out March 22nd on Rounder Records, the new LP has already been hailed as one of the "most anticipated albums of 2024" (Variety), from one of "the most exciting country musicians in all of America" (Paste). Following her 2021 debut, Long Time Coming – which turned the West Virginia-born, Nashville-based Ferrell from train-hopping, hitchhiking vagabond to a viral sensation and "rising star" (Rolling Stone) – Trail of Flowers reveals the wealth of wisdom and wild imagination behind her inimitable voice, shapeshifting sound and wondrous inner-world. Across the record's 12 songs, Ferrell blends boldly new ideas and old-time music to tell spellbinding stories about her struggle to build a life in a culture consumed by capitalism. Between dive bar romances, murder ballads and feverish tales of fending for food, the words and emotions are informed by her nomadic and ragged upbringing, busking everywhere from truck stops to alleyways, boxcars and the streets of New Orleans with a group of young, itinerant musicians.
Pre-order Trail of Flowers and watch the video for brand new single
"Dollar Bill Bar," featuring backing vocals from Nikki Lane and Kristen Rogers
On the heels of 2023's scorching "Fox Hunt," Trail of Flowers' latest preview, "Dollar Bill Bar," illustrates a swinging and wistful cycle of longing, regret and recklessness, as Sierra Ferrell fills the song with intricate poetry, fleeting lust and scenes of broken-down dreams. In addition to Nikki Lane and Kristen Rogers, Trail of Flowers features contributions from illustrious musicians like Lukas Nelson and Chris Scruggs. It was primarily recorded at Nashville's Sound Emporium Studios and produced by Eddie Spear (Zach Bryan, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton) and Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, Dwight Yoakam, Gillian Welch). On making the album, merging classic musicianship with decidedly modern concerns, and fulfilling her longstanding mission to transcend the barriers of time, Sierra Ferrell says:
"With Trail of Flowers, I wanted to make a fuller sound with bigger drums, but still stay true to the stripped-down feel of old-time music whenever it felt right. I wanted to create something that makes people feel nostalgic for the past, but excited about the future of music. I'm just trying to put words and melodies together and build it into something people can pour their feelings into, all their happiness and sorrows, so that it changes their reality a little bit and gives them some comfort. To me music is like medicine. Whenever I write a song and it feels healing to me, I know it can heal other people too."
While she has drawn comparisons to "Loretta Lynn's holler-raised twang, Dolly Parton's effortless melodiousness, Bessie Smith's confident rasp" (Pitchfork), Trail of Flowers is completely and distinctly Sierra Ferrell: unconventional, unbreakable, and unforgettable. Tonight, she will showcase that singular style as she makes her national television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Tune in to ABC at 11:35pm ET / 10:35pm CT.
Since the release of her 2021 album Long Time Coming, Sierra Ferrell earned Emerging Artist of The Year at the 2022 Americana Honors & Awards, and sold out every one of her live shows in 2023. She has become one of Nashville's most in-demand musicians, collaborating with Zach Bryan, Diplo, Margo Price, Shakey Graves and The Black Keys, sharing stages with Lana Del Rey, The Avett Brothers and Nathaniel Rateliff, being covered by Kelly Clarkson, and enchanting every audience through her eccentric and enthralling performances.
Before the arrival of Trail of Flowers, Sierra Ferrell will begin debuting more of the new music on her cross-country Shoot For The Moon Tour, including sold-out shows at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium and DC's 9:30 Club, as well as multiple nights at LA's Fonda Theatre and Chicago's Thalia Hall, stops at NYC's Webster Hall and dozens of other venues, ahead of a stadium run with Zach Bryan and newly added dates with The Avett Brothers. Find the full list below, and tickets at sierraferrellmusic.com/tour.
