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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliantly Put Together, January 12, 2005
Sean Watkins is already known for his musical abilities, being one third of the Grammy-winning group Nickel Creek. However, with this release Sean shows off his other talent, as a songwriter of incredible skill. There wasn't one track on this disc that I didn't enjoy, some were simple in their composition, others were much more complex, but they all had one thing in common: they were solid and provided a great listening experience.
Sean began with the piano when he was only six, and took years of classical instruction. He found the guitar a little later, and at the tender age of 16, he made it to the final round of the National Flatpicking Guitar Championships in 1993. Bluegrass was one of his first loves, and still means a great deal to him. However, Sean wanted to explore other avenues and genres, and has set out to do just that. Releasing his first solo album in 2001, an instrumental work, Sean has progressed to adding some fine vocals to his composing.
His interests take him through numerous genres, and that is reflected in the compositions on this release. 26 Miles is a testament to talent and what can happen when an artist doesn't get stuck into a genre, but explores what each has to offer. Each track is a work of art, and combined, you get a CD that you can listen to for years to come and not tire of. Although, I do hope that there will be a great deal more to come from this incredibly gifted musician.
On Ice begins the experience that is Sean Watkins. This song was one of the Game songs, that is, it was written in one day. This is an exercise Sean and his band developed to pass the time. They had to write one song a day, then play them for one another. The title was thought up the night before and they all had to write something suitable for it. While Sean didn't expect anything worthwhile to come of it, this is a track that contains the valuable "hook." The beat is fairly simplistic, but the lyrics hold worlds, and Sean's voice is the perfect vehicle to convey them.
Out of the thirteen songs on this release there are three instrumentals. N.M.I. (New Medium Instrumental) is one of them. It is a fast paced jazz kissed track that makes you stop and pay attention to it. This isn't a song to fade into the background in an elevator or office, like so many instrumentals are, this one delivers itself with a potency that is rare and wonderful to behold. Sean put a soprano sax and a fiddle together, and they fit like long lost lovers.
The title track, 26 Miles has a hint of hip-hop within its rhythm. It's a catchy piece, and started while Sean was walking on the beach. He'd apparently heard that if you stand next to a large body of water, you can see only 26 miles before the horizon bends. I love the oceanside, so this became a quick favourite.
All thirteen tracks are brilliantly put together, and you won't be disappointed in this CD. Even the accompanying booklet is filled with some great touches, pictures and brief explanations for each track, as well as the lyrics, and a look at some of the musicians and at Sean himself. 26 Miles is a must have for any music lover.
Review Originally Posted at http://www.linearreflections.com
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sean's brilliance never fades, April 30, 2003
By A Customer
Sean Watkins is a musical genius. There, I've said it. His first solo album, "Let It Fall" was utter brilliance ... showcasing ambitious instrumentals and gave us a taste of what was to come. "26 Miles" takes it to another level completely. Sean has crafted an album that transcends every genre, putting him in a place of his own. Not that this isn't all in a day's work for Sean, who breaks new musical ground all the time with Nickel Creek. But it's easy to see that every track on "26 Miles" is close to Sean's heart, and that draws the listener in even more. There are so many highlights on this album, with something for just about any music lover. Jazz, folk, rock & pop influences combine expertly in Sean's capable hands. Every track speaks out, beckoning you to take it all in. Songs like "Chicago", "Letters Never Sent" and "Through The Spring" beg to be listened to again and again ... each time delivering a different nuance you might have missed on the previous listen. There's edgier songs too, "Brick Window" and "On Ice" grab your attention from the first note and leave you breathless throughout. And then there's the instrumentals that Sean is famous for. Each of the three instrumentals on the album have a very different vibe, but they all shimmer. It's amazing what this man has managed to accomplish so far in his life. He's a world class musician at 26. What's even more exciting is that he's going to keep learning and growing for many years to come. As incredible as he is now, I can't wait to hear where that journey will take him.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is what I've been waiting for!, April 23, 2003
I have to be honest, I was a little let down by Let it Fall. I still think that overall it's a fine album, but it seriously bogs down in the middle with songs that end up as little more than filler. My problem with it wasn't that the songs weren't good (most of them were great), but rather that I knew he could do better. Well, now he has. Using the pop-rock influences that Nickel Creek messed with on their last album and carrying them even further, Sean has crafted an album that is both enjoyable, accessible, engaging, and above all, serves his audience a true taste of his song-writing ability. Nickel Creek fans may be a bit taken aback by what they hear on this album though. I know the first time I put it in, my first reaction was "Whoa... drums." Sean uses a more traditional rock/jazz rhythm section on this album to great effect. The band never feels like they are there only to back up Sean. Instead, they are all given a chance to shine, providing fills, solos, and a feel that you can't get from studio musicians. In addition to the extremely able band backing him, he brings in his sister Sara who provides some typically beautiful backing vocals, as well as some genuinely inspired fiddle playing that alternates between lovely, lilting passages, and some of the most aggressive playing we've heard from her yet. Sean's songwriting skills also continue to grow by leaps and bounds. He is still coming into his own as a lyricist, and the lyrics are a little shaky in a couple of places. Overall, however, he does a wonderful job of giving us a little bit of a glimpse into his view on the world as his star continues to rise. Most notably, he has developed a perfect sense of melody, and this album has a host of great vocal hooks. The focal point of this album for me, however is the music that Sean wrote. One listen to this album allayed all of the fears that I had after Let it Fall, as there is not a single piece of filler on this album. The vocal songs alternate between jazzy pop, country/folk pop, and more subdued, introspective ballads (Letters Never Sent is particularly noteworthy). The first two instrumentals (N.M.I. and Chutes & Ladders) would honestly not sound out of place on Bela Fleck's Tales From the Acoustic Planet, and the third (Creeping Beauty) sounds remarkably like a middle-era Leo Kottke ballad. His guitar work is at once both low-key and brilliant. He turns in great riff, chord progressions, and some of his best guitar solos since Nickel Creek's self titled album. There are a couple of surprises, such as Glen Phillip's vocals (which are wonderful), a few appearances by electric guitar, and the use of drum loops on two tracks (believe it or not, they work incredibly well). All in all, this album shows Sean finding his voice, and becoming comfortable with it. He has become the songwriter that I always thought he could be, and done it without compromising any of his vision, ambitious as it is. Don't go into this album expecting to hear a Nickel Creek album. On that note, don't even go into it expecting a Sean Watkins album. Expect the last thing you'd expect. What Sean has put out is very possibly the alt-pop album of the year. This man, both within and without Nickel Creek, is going to change the way people look at music.
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