Thursday, April 9, 2009

BEDA Day 9: Sarah Watkins

Holy Thursday, Batman! These five days make up some much-needed "time off" (whatever that means), and I intend to make good use of it musically, personally, academically, and sleepingly (what?).

I've really enjoyed Nickel Creek's music ever since first hearing it, especially "Green and Grey" (Gray?). They're currently taking a break to pursue independent projects.

Visit this generous six-song sample of Sarah Watkins' solo debut album to get a taste. It's pretty consistent with the Nickel Creek style and is fun to listen to, but it lacks the power of the male-female vocal harmonies that drive many of the earlier works... plus mandolin is awesome and should be on every track. :p

On the other hand, her solo album does have some nice intimate moments that make it well worth your time and attention. Check it out!

If you have a moment, also check out Fiction Family, the confluence of Nickel Creek's Sean Watkins and Switchfoot's Jon Foreman, and get back to me with what you think. I also really like Switchfoot, and this doesn't seem as odd of a combination as their website insinuates. It's sort of newgrass meets folky rock, which aren't that far removed from each other in the first place.

1 comment:

  1. I like Nickel Creek, and appreciate Sarah Watkins work as well. I agree that there's a particular strength to male-female vocals in the Nickel Creek sound that I miss.

    Your post and her music made me think of the artist Derek Webb. He's a (former?) singer with Caedmon's Call, and has done some solo work as well. I particularly like his political and Christian commentary on his Mokingbird CD, with songs like "A New Law," "In God We Trust," and "Love is Not Against the Law." He's a driving force behind an interesting venture in "fair trade" music, noisetrade.com. The idea is to get music directly from artists for a small fee or free with recommendations to friends. Check out the site to hear Derek Webb's latest album, "The Ringing Bell." (Feel free to recommend it to me if you want to download for free.)

    ReplyDelete