The debut solo LP from the virtuosic multi-instrumentalist and International Bluegrass Music Association's Guitar Player of the Year,
When You're Ready finds the sweet spot between technical prowess and emotional acuity.
Tuttle is a gifted player whose flatpicking, claw hammer, and cross-picking guitar and banjo skills have made her an in-demand collaborator over the years; she spent her formative days picking alongside her father in the family bluegrass ensemble the Tuttles. Left to her own devices,
Tuttle has emerged as a deft songwriter with an open heart, a keen ear for melody, and a flair for pairing dusty folk with Americana-kissed country-pop. The follow-up to 2017's
Rise EP, the 11-track set begins on a wistful note with the pining "Million Miles," a piece started over a decade ago by
Jewel and
Steve Poltz, and finished here by
Tuttle -- the song features harmony vocals from
Jason Isbell. The commanding "Take the Journey" showcases
Tuttle's considerable six-string chops, as does the mellifluous first single "Made My Mind Up," both of which suggest
Gillian Welch by way of
Kacey Musgraves.
Tuttle may lack the clever turns of phrase of the latter artist, but she knows how to spin a familiar melody or sentiment into something special. Late album gems "Messed Up My Mind" and "Light Came In (Power Went Out)" show a proclivity for pop craftsmanship, and the soulful, last-call closer "Clue" successfully bookends the lovelorn "Million Miles," with its weary protagonist once again searching the stars -- and the airwaves -- for lost love. ~ James Christopher Monger