“Once you’ve heard her songs…there is no way you will forget her. She’s a once-in-a-decade talent.” No Depression
“Meet West Virginia’s Sierra Ferrell, now in Nashville and newly signed to Rounder. She’s been wandering the country busking and adventuring, and she’s got a tremendous voice that’s joyously lilting, and at once vintage and contemporary. She sings with abandon, with a huge repertoire that spans jazz, country and cowboy music, with undertones of the blues.” – NPR Music
West Virginia bred, Nashville-based artist Sierra Ferrell, whose low-key visits to Australia in 2018 and 2019 saw her play shows with C.W. Stoneking and appear at the Out On The Weekend Festival, has today released the new single “In Dreams”.
In her elegant blurring of musical boundaries, Ferrell brought her vast imagination to the reworking of a signature fan favorite, “In Dreams”—a song previously glimpsed in a viral video that’s now amassed nearly four million views on YouTube. A bold departure from the rugged simplicity of that rendition, the album version of “In Dreams” unfolds with an unbridled splendor that wholly intensifies the impact of Ferrell’s outpouring.
The new recording of “In Dreams” is taken from Sierra’s 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.
“In Dreams” follows the recent single and video “The Sea”, which you can watch 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.
Sierra Ferrell Long Time Coming Track Listing:
1. The Sea (Sierra Ferrell)
2. Jeremiah (Sierra Ferrell)
3. Bells of Every Chapel (Sierra Ferrell – Oliver Bates Craven)
4. At The End Of The Rainbow (Sierra Ferrell – Nate Leath)
5. West Virginia Waltz (Sierra Ferrell – Nate Leath)
6. Silver Dollar (Sierra Ferrell – Nate Leath)
7. Far Away Across the Sea (Sierra Ferrell)
8. Why’d Ya Do It (Sierra Ferrell)
9. Give It Time (Sierra Ferrell)
10. In Dreams (Sierra Ferrell)
11. Made Like That (Sierra Ferrell)
12. Whispering Waltz (Sierra Ferrell – Oliver Bates Craven)
