Nickel Creek Reasons Why (The Very Best) CD

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 Truly amazing what this band has accomplished already
Playing Time – 64:52 plus seven videos -- Dreamy acoustic textures …. few bands weave their musical fabric with tonal colors as dynamically as Nickel Creek does with their mandolin, fiddle, guitar, bass and vocals. Once upon a time, long long ago in a place called San Diego, a novelty “kid band” (with Sean and Sara Watkins, Chris and Scott Thile) chose their group’s name based on fiddle tune written by Byron Berline about a ranch in Texas. The band got its first national television exposure on the Statler Brothers Show (TNN) in 1997, and by 2000 they had won IBMA’s Emerging Artist of the Year Award. Twelve “best of” tracks have beene chosen from their three previous albums, and two additional live performance tracks complete the audio portion of this project. We’re also treated to all seven of their videos on a separate DVD. After their 2001 album received two Grammy nominations, their fanciful acoustic folk-pop earned them a mention in Time magazine as among the 100 “Innovators of the Year.” Their 2003 album (“This Side”) won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album and subsequently went gold. More recently, their “Why Should the Fire Die?” album further established their adventurous approach to music that knows no confines. To develop a signature sound that listeners can immediately identify as Nickel Creek takes an enlightened and inspired convergence of musicianship and innovation. Most of their music is original, but some of their “very best of” tracks come from others – Carrie Newcomer, Sinead Lohan, Keith Whitley, and Tim O’Brien & Danny O’Keefe. Falling squarely into an Americana format, their keen multicolored kaleidoscope features perfectly blended vocals wrapped around elegant instrumentation in ornate arrangements. High quality production of their music has also managed to make their jazz, Celtic, bluegrass, and folk elements something distinctive. “The Lighthouse’s Tale” is such a quaint offering. “Helena” has smoldering rock rhythms. “Reasons Why” and “When You Come Back Down” have that youthful yearning for strong affectionate ties. “Smoothie Song” is a breezy instrumental jaunt (and for that matter, I wouldn’t mind seeing Sugar Hill release an entire album of just their instrumentals). The two previously unreleased live cuts capture the Nickel Creek spirit, with a 9-minute rendition of “The Fox” having a number of significant interpretive twists and polygenric sprees. This is a resplendent presentation of Nickel Creek’s inner muse. If there’s a minor complaint due to a little redundancy, the DVD’s seven videos include six songs that are also on the audio disc. The seventh added video is Sean Watkins’ “Speak.” The same price as just a CD, you should consider all the videos as a generous and added bonus. At the end of 2007, Nickel Creek has announced their plans to take an indefinite break as a band. Fame and success can take its toll, even on those with such youthful energy. However, I’m sure that we can expect new creativity to emerge as solo and other collaborative projects emerge from these talented musicians. Thile has already released a solo album. “How to Grow a Woman from the Ground,” and Sean and Sara Watkins present “Watkins Family Hour” regularly at a Los Angeles venue. And, in 2007, Sean turns the big 3-0 on Feb. 18, Chris celebrates his 26th birthday on Feb. 20, and Sara turns 26 a few months later on June 9. Wow, they have so many fruitful and productive years ahead of them. It takes considerable imagination to fathom where the next three decades may take them on their daring musical journeys. (Joe Ross)
Submitted by Joe Ross (Roseburg, OR.)
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