Search - Nickel Creek :: Reasons Why: The Very Best (CD + DVD)

Outstanding display of range and growth

Volpsych | Knoxville, TN United States | 11/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When Nickel Creek announced their separation in August 2006, many fans were in agony. This collection clearly demonstrates why. Their music is wholly original and unique, based on bluegrass/new acoustic instrumentation with rock and jazz influences and technical virtuosity, a combination not found in any other current band. This collection displays all their strengths in a single disc format, concluding with a phenomenal demonstration of their musical abilities in a live setting.



I have never seen a greatest hits collection that fans believe wholly captures their favorite band's abilities, and the same can obviously be said about "Reasons Why." Despite this, the collection gathers both "greatest hits" and songs that give an overview of their abilities. Interestingly, the track listing is not sequential, likely to provide shifts in moods and feels; selections from the first CD are more gentle while those from their most recent one are heavier, so placing them out of order gives the sound more variety. However, it also takes away from the obvious growth of the band in the 5 years between "Nickel Creek" and "Why Should the Fire Die?" Imagine a Beatles greatest hits that juxtaposes "All My Loving" with "Strawberry Fields" before returning to "A Hard Day's Night." It's harder to see the musical progression of the band and appreciate how far they came in a short time.



What this collection offers is the gorgeous harmonies of "Out of the Woods," the instrumental excellence of "Smoothie Song," the pop accesibility of "This Side," the loveliness of "When You Come Back Down," and the songwriting sophistication of "helena." All fans will be upset by what was left off (I'll argue for the inclusion of 'ode to a Butterfly," the outstanding instrumental that introduced the band on their first wide-release CD), but will have trouble arguing that this is a great overview, particularly for a band with only three common releases (their first CD is more of a children's recording of cowboy songs, while their next CD is out of print and not currently available).



For those who have all their recordings, this collection offers not only all their videos--a nice addition for us obsessive collectors--but two outstanding live tracks. The first, "You Don't Have to Move that Mountain," is from the out-of-print CD and has been a concert staple for years; it is solidly performed and great to have. But it is "The Fox" that demonstrates our apoplexy at the band's "break." Who else can start with a classic folk song before breaking into a Dylan rap and an extended classical selection before bringing it back together for an energized finish in nine minutes? No one. There is no band like Nickle Creek."

A resplendent presentation of Nickel Creek's inner muse

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 12/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

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Long Live Nickel Creek!!

Rolandthunder | Georgia R.F.D. | 01/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike some of the earlier posts, I am not a professionl musician and not so knowledgeable of other musical groups of the genre as to attempt to qualitatively distinguish Nickel Creek from anyone else. I can only say that, based on my several decades as a music lover, Nickel Creek is suis generis in combining individual instrumental virtuosity, song writing ability, vocal agility, and genuine humility into a pristine musical package. I discovered Nickel Creek quite by accident last August on AT&T's Blue Room where streaming video was being provided of their appearance at Booneroo O6 in Tennessee where they performed "Somebody More Like You," "Scotch and Chocolate," and "The Fox" (with some great clogging by their bass player, Mark Schatz, and Chris thrown in for good measure). It was love at first sight and I have become an avid "Creeker" ever since. The "Reasons Why: The Very Best" CD duplicates some the the "Why Should the Fire Die" pieces that I own but also provides some of their great earlier works that I don't own and it is a cherished addition to my music collection. However, the DVD of the seven videos the group has made is,to me, alone worth twice the price of both the CD and DVD. The seven musical vignettes on the DVD demonstrate not only the abundance and diversity of Nickel Creek's talent and range but also the outstanding creativity of those at Sugar Hill responsible for producing it."