Inspired by Rebecca Frazier’s transformative decade living in Colorado, “High Country Road Trip” evokes majestic Rocky Mountain scenery while posing questions about living in the moment as one is considering life-changing decisions.
“My whole life has been a counterpoint of going with my gut and enjoying the moment while also considering intention and the bigger picture. I grew up on the water, so I love going with the flow and being taken for a ride. But I’ve got that philosophical side, where I’m also asking, ‘Where is this leading?’ This song is meant to capture that moment of joy somewhere in the middle: that elevated feeling of loving the lightness of not knowing what’s around the bend, and not necessarily trying to create a specific outcome.”
“I had the idea for this song many years ago, and I recorded myself singing the basic melody and chorus. I loved the driving feel of what I had, but I knew it needed more attention and a keener sense of purpose—so I asked one of my favorite writers, Rorey Carroll, to finish the song with me. She’d spent years living in Colorado as well, and she knew the exact feeling we were trying to capture. I love how we decided to make the geography very specific—we could both picture that elevated drop on Highway 285, when you’re headed south toward Buena Vista. It’s a change of perspective, it’s magical.”
“When I presented the song to producer Bill Wolf, I told him that I envisioned a slow build into a high-paced bluegrass feel. And I wanted a floating, airy jam section, climbing upwards as though we nearing the summit of a beautiful mountain drive, and the excitement that ensues through the climactic scenery. I came up with two instrumental hooks that are interwoven throughout, and Bill and I spent time going back and forth with ideas, drafting out the arrangement.”
“In the studio with legends Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Josh Swift and Barry Bales, our notes looked like a mess. We were percolating with ideas, and even though I am guessing we overwhelmed them, they interpreted all of our ideas and added their own ideas, like the A-game professionals they are. The result is beyond my wildest dreams—better than I could have imagined.”