“Eagerly awaited” might be one of the most over-used phrases around when it comes to new recordings, but in the case of bluegrass-and-more quintet Sister Sadie, No Fear, their first full-length project for Mountain Home Music Company is exactly that.
In the more than five years since their second album was released, founding members Deanie Richardson and Gena Britt saw changes in personnel and coped with a pandemic that shut down touring — while, in the middle of all that, earning multiple awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association, including its top Entertainer of the Year honor in 2020.
Through it all, fans never ceased their hopes for new material, and beginning with 2022’s “Diane,” a vibrant country cover that the group premiered on the IBMA’s awards show in late September, those wishes were met with a series of singles that heralded Sister Sadie’s renewal and paved the way for No Fear. And as compelling as “Diane,” “Well” and “Willow” (which reached the top of the Bluegrass radio charts) are, the rest of the new collection is every bit as dynamic, offering a multi-dimensional set to affirm that Sister Sadie have overcome the challenges of the recent past to emerge stronger — and even more fearless — than ever.