Chances are if you are reading this on this website you are no stranger to the awe-inspiring genius that is Molly Tuttle‘s guitar playing. If you are into roots or progressive bluegrass music, knowing of an artist at the forefront of the genre and movement is fairly hard to miss, particularly with a talent like Tuttle. 

Her latest record and debut full length (When You’re Ready, out April 5th) earmarks a point in the artist’s life where she has completely blown up since the release of 2017’s EP Rise and while the Tuttle name has been synonymous with bluegrass and festival time over the years, When You’re Ready symbolizes a time of growth and exploration for Molly as an artist and songwriter.

While Rise ended up on our best of 2017 list, the sonic aesthetic I think takes a turn for a more varied and expanisive landscape here, on this track alone, excuse my language, but Molly is an absolute f*cking monster, with virtuosic and truly heavy, explosive guitar playing and as we previously said,  “On ‘Rise’ there is evidence of that accolade, but also a tenderness that puts a different aesthetic on display” , on this track the clarity and precision with which she plays lends itself that ease of sinking into the tune, allowing it to take you for the journey of listening and delving into the song as the title suggests, but its truly inspiring just how astonishing her intrepidness as a player is. All this balanced with the warmth and inviting nature of her voice and its easy to see why the past 2 years have seen her on stages all over the world without a sense of that trajectory slowing down.

The track “Take the Journey” emits vapors more reminiscent of Andy McKee than Doc Watson, but equally conveys Molly’s prowess and chameleon-like ability to adapt a song’s rhythmic style that best suits the arrangement and words. A simple thumping playing behind the verses under Tuttle’s signature frailing style, just pointing to the fact that when you are this good, you don’t need a whole ton of production to fill a track (or a room) with a sound that will make jaws drop.

“Take the Journey” and the accompanying other 10 tracks on When You’re Ready just further perpetuate Tuttle’s seat as ambassador for and royalty within the progressive roots music community. Pre-order today.