Review: Treasures Abound in Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway’s ‘City of Gold’

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
City of Gold
(Nonesuch Records)
4.5 out of 5

Americana-bluegrass sensation Molly Tuttle, alongside her band Golden Highway, has done it again. Together, the act has brought back their agile playing and elegant songcraft while also managing to chart new territory as one of modern-day bluegrass’ most devoted purveyors.

City of Gold, Tuttle’s fourth studio album and the second released to feature her tight-knit outfit of all-star players, sees the group kick their lovable flair up a notch. Across 13 tracks, Tuttle et al. capture the energy and spirit of the traditional genre just to thread in their own imaginative narratives and tongue-in-cheek tales. A motley collection of breakdowns, ballads, and fiddle tunes, City of Gold is just that, a haven where treasures abound.

City of Gold is brought to life in a rush of steel as the group thumbs their way through the rollicking “El Dorado.” Tuttle’s compelling vocals rattle off a captivating Gold Rush-era story, her words racing alongside the fearlessly galloping strings. No doubt a technical feat, the delivery of the rapid-fire tale is seamless.

That same energy bleeds into an array of tongue-twisting, finger-fumbling arias, like the rambunctious foot-tapper “Where Did All the Wild Things Go?,” the feisty breakup anthem “Next Rodeo,” and the fun, banjo-fueled “Down Home Dispensary.” But each thrilling breakdown is met with an equally heart-aching ballad. Tracks like the loping “Yosemite,” which enlists the help of jam band virtuoso Dave Matthews, and the stirring “When My Race Is Run” tug at the ticker with each fiddle cry and banjo wail.

City of Gold contains beautiful additions to the vibrant bluegrass tradition, from the whiplash-inducing “San Joaquin” to the haunting “Goodbye Mary.” However, the album also harbors dazzling examples of the band’s singular style, like the bouncy ballad “More Like a River,” the effervescent ode “Evergreen, OK,” and the backwoods fairytale “Alice in the Bluegrass.”

Overall, City of Gold shines with Molly Tuttle, Golden Highway, and their inventive take on the bluegrass genre all awash in the glow.

(Photo by Chelsea Rochelle / Courtesy of Sacks & Co.)