Daybreak

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Daybreak
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  1. Audio CD: Release Date 2011-03-08
  2. Publisher: Rounder
  3. Artist: Sierra Hull
  4. Sales Rank in Music: #5074

Product Review

Rounder Records is pleased to announce the release of 19-year old mandolin prodigy, Sierra Hull's Daybreak. Produced by Union Station bassist Barry Bales, Daybreak is the much anticipated follow-up to her 2008 hit, Secrets, which The Associated Press described as follows: "Combine the angelic voice of Alison Krauss with the fiery mandolin picking of Rhonda Vincent and you have the sound of Sierra Hull on Secrets...It's dominated by her mandolin and vocal dynamics few artists of any age ever master."

Hull penned 7 of the 12 songs on Daybreak, a collection that stands up quite well next to the outside material. There's a pair of sprightly instrumentals, her first-ever western swing number and several songs that show her emotional sophistication. In songs that fall squarely in the bluegrass tradition, feelings are out in the open; during country-leaning compositions, she ponders relationships from more introspective angles, and the title track--a breathtaking pop ballad--is the most ruminative moment of all.

One of the most respected artists in the new school of bluegrass, Hull has received 5 IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) nominations in the past 3 years and is the first bluegrass musician to receive Berklee School of Music's prestigious Presidential Scholarship.
Title Tracks for Daybreak

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Bright Days Ahead for Hull with 'Daybreak", March 9, 2011
Timothy Yap "thy4568" (Sydney, NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Daybreak (Audio CD)
Prime Cuts: Daybreak, Best Buy, Wouldn't Matter to Me

It would be criminal to ignore Hull's sophomore effort "Daybreak." This is an indispensable landmark disc as far as the genre of progressive bluegrass is concerned. While many of Hull's peers are entrenched in the latest beat and trends, the 19 year-old Hull has gone for the heart and her roots. As a result she has made bluegrass palatable, rejuvenating and youthful again. Comparisons with Alison Krauss are inevitable as both divalets are from the same recording imprint, the inexorable Rounder Records. Vocally both of them are close cousins with Hull having Krauss' crystalline clarity as well as her controlled modulation that brings a sparkling purity to these songs. Further, both of them have great veneration for tradition rooting the backings of their songs in the rustic riffs of the banjo, fiddles, steel and acoustic guitar. Just like Krauss, Hull has taken John Pennell's (a Krauss favourite writer) "Don't Pick...Read more


18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Green Grass & Mandolins, March 14, 2011
Cabir Marc Davis (Amazon) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Daybreak (Audio CD)
This sophomore disc by Sierra Hull is a vast improvement over her debut disc. Of course, with the amount of recognition shes getting this time around, a lot of listeners have mistakenly attributed this to be her first outing (which was actually 2008's "Secrets"). That album was six years in the making, recorded since Hull was 13, and the results - while interesting - were definitely not what would make one reach for the repeat button. Things take a turn for the better on "Daybreak", which should cement her position as a tour de force on the country/bluegrass music scene.

Initial impressions are that this is a fine mix between the sounds of Alison Krauss and Union Station, with a lot more mandolin thrown in. Indeed, Hull's voice has all the affectations of a younger Krauss, and has a honey-drenched sweetness about her that is hard not to find endearing. I first discovered Hull through Wildy's World, an online resource that made it a point to source out and review upcoming...Read more


7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars the prodigy evolves, March 16, 2011
Paul S. Wilson "paul" (Highland Village, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Daybreak (Audio CD)
Very good stuff!

I really enjoyed every cut on the album.
Sierra's musicianship is unquestioned, and it shines endlessly.

But her vocals are improving with maturity, the fine harmonies notwithstanding.

The sky is absolutely the limit for this emerging artist. Who knows how high she can soar at the rate she is going.

While yes, this is bluegrass music, any number of the songs have a very contemporary feel to them and come off more modern than traditional, even though the instruments themselves are all traditional accoustic.

A fine effort, worth many hearings.

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