Sing Out! Spring 2000
Without a doubt, Nickel Creek is the leader of the pack of young superpickers on the acoustic music scene today. Band members are Chris Thile (mandolin, banjo, bouzouki) and Scott Thile ( acoustic and electric upright bass), son and father, respectively, and Watkins siblings Sara (violin) and Sean (guitar and mandolin). Grammy Award winning Alison Krauss is at the production helm on this, their first release.
The stable of tunes on the self-titled first release ranges from rollicking new acoustic instrumentals to lilting, pop-oriented, British Isles-flavored ballads; the foursome handles smoothly this excellent selection of eclectic numbers. The all-acoustic format is well-suited for commercial crossover into light pop, AAA or Americana formats. With three-fourths of the group not even a quarter century of age, the confidence that is conveyed on this recording is unsurpassed in comparison to not only peer groups but also to older, long-established bands.
Arrangements are intricately full, displaying dynamic instrumental virtuosity in companion to splendid lyric writing. Two non-originals, "When You Come Back Down" penned by Tim O'Brien and Danny O'Keefe, and the simplistically brief love-dream sequence "Out Of The Woods" from Sinead Lohan, blend well with the album's mostly original songs.
Sean Watkins wrote or co-wrote four numbers for this CD, two of which are instrumentals ("Robin and Marian" and "Pastures New"). The latter has an orchestral, quasi-classical approach. Exceptionally deep is "The Hand Song," about a mother losing her son to war.
The younger Thile is no slacker in the composition realm either. Included are two original instrumentals plus a co-authored song. But the clincher of the album is "Sweet Afton." Chris Thile has taken the words of "Caledonia's Bard" Robert Burns and applied his own take on the traditional melody. The result is a graceful, yet powerfully gentle ride down the river Afton.
A rollicking rendering of the traditional "The Fox" calls up phrasing and mandolin chops reminiscent of New Grass Revival's style. A sprightly version of "Cuckoo's Nest" also appears here.
Nickel Creek captures brilliantly on record its youth, talent, broad marketability and appeal. Put this one in your "play often" section!