or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Sell Us Your Item
For up to a $2.30 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

Sun Midnight Sun

Sara WatkinsAudio CD
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

Price: $9.99 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
  Special Offers Available
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 18 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it Friday, May 24? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
MP3 Music, 10 Songs, 2012 $10.49  
Audio CD, 2012 $9.99  
Vinyl, 2012 $30.30  

Amazon's Sara Watkins Store

Music

Image of album by Sara Watkins

Photos

Image of Sara Watkins
Visit Amazon's Sara Watkins Store
for 4 albums, 4 photos, discussions, and more.

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Buy a CD or a vinyl record, get a $1 Amazon MP3 Credit. Limit one promotional credit per customer. Here's how (restrictions apply)

Frequently Bought Together

Sun Midnight Sun + Sara Watkins + Reasons Why: The Very Best (CD + DVD)
Price for all three: $31.97

Buy the selected items together


Product Details

  • Audio CD (May 8, 2012)
  • Original Release Date: 2012
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Nonesuch
  • ASIN: B007NUQHG6
  • Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,107 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

1. The Foothills
2. You and Me
3. You're the One I Love (feat. Fiona Apple)
4. When It Pleases You
5. Be There
6. I'm a Memory
7. Impossible
8. The Ward Accord
9. Lock & Key
10. Take Up Your Spade

Editorial Reviews

Sun Midnight Sun is the second solo album from acclaimed singer, songwriter, and fiddle player Sara Watkins. Produced by guitarist, singer, and songwriter Blake Mills, co-founder of the band Simon Dawes, the album features special guest appearances by Fiona Apple, Jackson Browne, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Benmont Tench, and Sean Watkins.

Sun Midnight Sun follows Sara Watkins' critically acclaimed 2009 self-titled solo debut produced by John Paul Jones. NPR said Sara Watkins "puts her great instrumental breadth on display as she plays the guitar, ukulele and fiddle in addition to her sweet-voiced singing," and the Kansas City Star called it a record "for anyone who likes the sound of a good singer and a good band hammering out good music."

In the three years after her debut release, Watkins toured the world as guest fiddle player and vocalist with the Decemberists and joined Garrison Keillor on his nationwide Summer Love performance tours, as well as acting as his first and only guest host for A Prairie Home Companion broadcasts.

Sun Midnight Sun was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Shawn Everett at Zeitgeist Studio, Los Angeles, and includes songs written by Watkins ("You and Me," "Take Up Your Spade") as well as several collaborations with Mills ("The Foothills," "Be There," "The Accord," "Impossible," and "Lock and Key"). It also features songs by Dan Wilson ("When It Pleases You") and Willie Nelson ("I'm a Memory"), and a rendition of The Everly Brothers classic "You're the One I Love," on which Fiona Apple duets with Watkins.

Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
(18)
4.3 out of 5 stars
I also liked the fact that these songs move into the territory of Americana. Flash  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
We listed to the cd a couple times and it's a great album. Mi-ami  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
She has a wonderful voice and is a wonderful instrumentalist. annabanana  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Sara Watkins throws a bone to her old Nickel Creek fans by opening up "Sun Midnight Sun" with "The Foothills", one of the album's two instrumental numbers.
It's a zippy bluegrass tune, driven forward by Watkins' furious fiddle playing, and it's the closest she ever comes to the rustic sound of her former band.
Watkins doesn't completely forsake the farm for the city on this solo release, but she does stretch her arms quite a bit, pulling in everything from quirky indie pop to West Coast folk-rock to harmony-drenched Americana.
She nets a few big-name collaborators, too, with people like Jackson Browne, Benmont Tench, and Fiona Apple (who lays down some deep harmonies on a galloping, spaghetti western version of the Everly Brothers' "You're the One I Love") stopping by for a song or two.
This is clearly the Sara Watkins show, though, even when she relies on producer Blake Mills to help her co-write the album's best tunes, and she's never sounded better as a singer.
She croons like a country star on "Be There", a sad-eyed, twangy duet whose guitar riff pays tribute to Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time", and chastises a reluctant lover with a sharp, flirty coo on "When It Pleases You".
The rest of "Sun Midnight Sun" bounces between pastoral folk and big-city pop/rock, often blurring the lines between the two, and the album comes full circle with its closer, "Take Up Your Spade", a campfire singalong that roughly approximates Watkins' more acoustic beginnings.
It's not as polished as the other tracks, but it's a helpful reminder that even when you strip back the eccentric arrangements and lush production, Watkins can still deliver. A. Leahey
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Sara Watkins is back! July 13, 2012
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have really enjoyed Sun Midnight Sun. The CD was worth it just for the song Lock and Key. This song really reminds me of the best of Nickel Creek, the songwriting is superb. I enjoyed the guest appearances from Fiona Apple. It's a shame there is not more good home grown music on the radio like Sara delivers. This is the best CD I have purchased this year.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Truly Solid Effort April 10, 2013
Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sara Watkins is a refreshing musical talent. There is a definite element of innovation and evolution when compared with her previous album on display here and while it doesn't always land 100% of the time, the effort is admirable and it makes for an album that you can return to and find new things to joy with each new rotation.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Sara is great
This album is pretty darn good. Love Sara on her own, but please bring back Nickel Creek! Also Check out what the other guys have been up to. Some fun stuff out there.
Published 12 days ago by Trevor Cooley
2.0 out of 5 stars Not her best work
I can understand an artist wanting to grow and diversify and not get stuck in a genre. But this album strikes me as a complete rejection of Sara's bluegrass roots. Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Bready
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely!
I'm in love with this album! I've listened to from beginning to end it 5-6 times in the few days I've owned it!
Published 2 months ago by georgiagirllk
5.0 out of 5 stars An edgier Sara Watkins
Blake Mills has brought out the best of Sara and we get to hear an ecletic sometimes achingly beautiful group of songs. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jay Fisher
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice cd
This was a gift for my husband. He'd heard a sample of her music on a podcast and knew nothing else of her. We listed to the cd a couple times and it's a great album.
Published 4 months ago by Mi-ami
2.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite Good
I hate to be the lone dissenting voice of all the reviewers but I don't care for this album. It has its interesting parts but, overall, it's pretty weak. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Thomas Payne
5.0 out of 5 stars great artist @ work
my wife and i saw her w/ jackson brown last summer. i waited a few weeks to buy her C.D. wow she was great in a live concert, but is equally great on a C/D. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Stephen Mckenzie
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful voice, great range
I discovered her first at 'A Prairie Home Companion', then again at 'The Watkins Family' hour.

I really enjoy the range in this album. Read more
Published 6 months ago by D. Bernal
5.0 out of 5 stars Sara Makes The Move To Americana!
Sara Watkins has taken a major step forward on this her latest release. In her Nickel Creek days, she would sing the occasional song, but her voice while sweet, was quiet and less... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Flash
4.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected
I like Sara's first solo record and enjoy her appearances on Prairie Home Companion. I expected more of the same from this new album. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Rushmore
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Forums

Topic From this Discussion
1 to 4 weeks availability on the day of release
oh stop complaining, nerd.
Jul 4, 2012 by icecube |  See all 2 posts
Have something you'd like to share about this product?
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions


So You'd Like to...


Create a guide

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?



Look for Similar Items by Category