★★★★★
Above: Photo by Devin Pedde from Sean Watkins.com This has been a busy year for guitarist Sean Watkins. His bluegrass trio Nickel Creek ended their seven-year hiatus in April with the release of the excellent A Dotted Line and followed that up with an extensive summer tour. In the midst of that tour comes the release of Watkins' first solo album in eight years. All I Do is Lie blends folk, rock, and country elements quite seamlessly over a brisk ten songs...
- www.popmatters.com
2014-08-18
★★★★★
?????????? Nickel Creek co-founder Sean Watkins boasts a solid solo catalog of three prior albums, and the mournful All I Do Is Lie may be his best independent effort to date. Primarily a collection of gentle and accessible love songs, the album quietly addresses disharmony within dying relationships, examining the corrosion of ill-fated romances...
- www.glidemagazine.com
2014-07-10
★★★★★
Sean Watkins, of Nickel Creek fame, is a busy man these days. In addition to that band's latest offering, Watkins has just put out his fourth solo album. Originally known for his contemporary bluegrass flatpicking, his music has evolved to incorporate folk, pop and acoustic indie rock influences. While Watkins' guitar playing on is superb, and the title track, among others, features some great guitar work, this is not an album of in-your-face instrumental brilliance...
- exclaim.ca
2014-06-28
★★★★★
Another gem from the consistently strong label Sugar Hill, Sean Watkins's Blinders On supports the ethos promoted by contemporary Sugar Hill acts such as Nickel Creek and the Duhks: understand tradition but resist classification. Watkins's primary role is singer/guitarist for contemporary bluegrass innovators Nickel Creek, and his empathetic voice and straight-ahead songs translate well to this solo setting. He's not left stranded, though...
- www.prefixmag.com
2009-06-08
★★★★★
On his second solo release, Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek further departs from progressive bluegrass to craft a collection of thoughtful and dour acoustic pop. 26 Miles still sparkles with clean, full production and a sense of crossing many genres, but this time Watkins lands a little closer to the likes of Grant Lee Phillips than Alison Brown...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Nickel Creek guitarist/vocalist Sean Watkins put the Grande Ole Opry behind him with Blinders On, a 15-track foray into pop, rock, and the wonders of digital recording. From the opening Adrian Belew-esque guitar loop on "Summer's Coming" to the angsty, mandolin-led love song "Whipping Boy" -- the latter evolves into a full-on flat-picked guitar and cello jam about five minutes in -- it's clear that the shy, quiet Nickel Creek guitar player is coming out of his shell...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28