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Nickel Creek
official Web site
Track List:
1. When in Rome
2. Somebody More Like You
3. Jealous of the Moon
4. Scotch & Chocolate
5. I Can't Complain
6. Tomorrow Is A Long Time
7. Eveline
8. Stumptown
9. Anthony
10. Best of Luck
11. Doubting Thomas
12. First and Last Waltz
13. Helena
14. Why Should the Fire Die?
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Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die?
(Sugar Hill Records)
By Paul RosnerBUY IT NOW!
Nickel Creek is a unique band in many respects, but perhaps the most remarkable thing about the San Diego trio is its ability to transcend the rigid boundaries typically associated with acoustic/bluegrass music. Teenybopper bluegrass heads, longstanding rock fans, collegiate music lovers, and older generations have all embraced the group's good picking and storytelling. Mandolinist/lead singer Chris Thile has become the poster boy for cool acoustic music, while brother/sister combo Sean and Sara Watkins each bring their own charm to the table. Sara's obvious appeal endears the group to a whole generation of frat boys and country dudes, while Sean represents the more "mature" side of Nickel Creek (even though he's just a few years older than Sara and Chris).
And let's not forget that these still young musicians can flat out play. Recognized early on for their prodigious talent, Thile and the two Watkins siblings are now veterans of the music business in their early/mid-twenties, already having established themselves as legitimate successes with two consecutive gold records to their name. The band's self-titled debut in 2000 garnered much praise - rightfully so - for its stellar musicianship, strong song selection, and honest presentation. More impressively, the album stayed on the pop charts for more than a year - quite a feat for a major label backed rock or rap outfit, much less an independent bluegrass trio. 2002's Grammy Award winning This Side followed to similar acclaim and a No. 2 spot on the mainstream country charts, but it is with the brand new Why Should the Fire Die? (Sugar Hill Records) that Nickel Creek truly finds its voice.
Leading off with first single "When In Rome," the three make it clear early on that they intend to rock. Sporting a much edgier sound this time around, including unobtrusive but noticeable percussion and beefed up production, Nickel Creek sound fuller and more accomplished than ever. Alison Krauss, producer of the band's first two records, is nowhere to be found in 2005, replaced instead by Tony Berg and Eric Valentine, the latter responsible for rockers like Queens of the Stone Age and Smash Mouth. This new production team, along with a perceptible concentration on harmonies and more of a willingness to take risks, make Why Should the Fire Die? much more than just an acoustic/bluegrass record.
To that end, Sara throws her sweet-voiced reputation out the window for alt-rock vox on album highlight and potential crossover hit "Best of Luck." Clearly the hardest rocking song Nickel Creek has put to wax, "Best of Luck" features the group's best riff and hook to date, not to mention fantastic harmonies from the boys. Sean pens and takes a strong lead on "Somebody More Like You," a bitter song typified by lines like, "I hope you meet someone your height so you can see eye to eye with someone as small as you." Hardly the sweet words of innocent youth. Sara's turn to shine comes on a beautifully sparse remake of Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" and her own "Anthony," a pretty little Tin Pan Alley-esque number of longing and sadness.
A trio of instrumentals remind those lost in the lyrics that Nickel Creek is a musician's band at heart. The first, "Scotch & Chocolate," is a rousing stomp that comes along in the fourth spot on the disc, just in time to bring memories of the group's debut flooding back. "Stumptown," the second, is an easy-going 1:43 foot-tapper that is the easiest track on the album to categorize. The same can't be said of the record's third instrumental, "First and Last Waltz," a cut that sounds more like the intro to an epic Genesis song circa 1974.
And though some traditionalists may point to songs like "First and Last Waltz" to argue that Nickel Creek is less a bluegrass band than ever after the release of Why Should the Fire Die?, it matters not. Thile, Watkins, and Watkins have never played by the rules, and that suits this reviewer and lots more like him just fine. There are plenty of old hands keeping the storied history of bluegrass alive, but there are very few outfits with the talent and courage to take bold steps into the musical unknown. Nickel Creek could go in any number of directions from here...and that's what makes this such an exciting group to follow.
BUY IT NOW!
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