Mandolin prodigy's talent belies her age

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 doesn't hurt that the 16-year-old Krauss protege is backed by members of Krauss' band Union Station, or that Hull's co-producer is Station's Ron Block. But it's still her album.

She hits the ground running on the title track with a vicious mandolin lick followed by her driving vocal. It's the only cut that includes all four members of Union Station — Dan Tyminski on vocals, Block on guitar and vocals, Barry Bales on bass and Jerry Douglas on dobro.

Two instrumentals highlight Hull's mandolin virtuosity — "Smashville" by Jim VanCleve, who plays fiddle on the track, and Hull's "Hullarious" — on which she's joined by another amazing teen, 17-year-old banjo player Cory Walker from her band Highway 111 and shows she's no slouch at guitar, either.

The lone ballad amid the 13 tracks is a lovely version of "The Hard Way," far softer than Keith Urban's grittier one. Hull also delivers a snappy bluegrass update of "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," which Connie Francis took to No. 1 almost a half century ago. Hull dodges the youthful temptation to oversing or overplay and instead leads what amounts to a track-by-track jam session with some of the most talented musicians in bluegrass. It's dominated by her mandolin and vocal dynamics few artists of any age ever master.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: In an album dominated by blazing instruments, Block's "If You Can Tame My Heart" highlights wonderful vocals featuring just Hull, Tyminski and Clay Hess in a clever, complex tune. Bluegrass melodies generally go where you expect them to. This one doesn't.