Nickel Creek's Reasons Why (The Very Best) has a total of twelve studio tracks taken from the group's three albums as well as two tracks from live performances. There is also a DVD which consists of seven Nickel Creek videos. If you are a Nickel Creek fan then this is a wonderful thing to add to your collection.
The Very Best of Nickel Creek - The Album
From the group's self-titled debut release, there are four songs: "The Lighthouse's Tale," "Out Of The Woods," "Reasons Why," and "When You Come Back Down." "Reasons Why" showcases Sara's smooth vocals as she sings about loneliness. "The Lighthouse's Tale" is a hauntingly beautiful story told through the eyes of a lighthouse that's seen everything from joy to death. "Out Of The Woods" is a soft sounding song that is quite relaxing. Chris Thile sings "When You Come Back Down," which is about a man who vows to be a woman's solid ground. "Take every chance you dare" is what he tells her.The second album represented is This Side. "Smoothie Song" is one of Nickel Creek's great instrumentals, but when it comes to other songs from the album you can certainly tell they were dabbling with more unique sounds. "I Should've Known Better" has Sara Watkins singing about a relationship she realized was doomed from the start. Sean Watkins sings lead vocals on "This Side." In the beginning of the song, the man is scared to be in a relationship but once he put himself out there he realizes he can experience life in a new way.
Included at the end of the collection are two live tracks taken from a November 16, 2000 performance at The Freight and Salvage. Sara Watkins sings "You Don't Have To Move That Mountain," a song that's been covered by many different artists. Chris Thile sings the regular verses of "The Fox," before going into a long instrumental and then singing a few added verses.
Song List:
- Lighthouse's Tale
- Out Of The Woods
- When In Rome
- Helena
- Smoothie Song
- Somebody More Like You
- Reasons Why
- Can't Complain
- I Should Have Known Better
- This Side
- Jealous Of The Moon
- When You Come Back Down
- You Don't Have To Move That Mountain (Live)
- The Fox (Live)
The Very Best of Nickel Creek - The DVD
The DVD contains seven Nickel Creek videos spanning from their very first ("Reasons Why,") to their most recent ("When In Rome.") You get to see the musical journey they've taken in between those two videos and you also get to take time to appreciate the vision directors had with the music.Videos included are: "Reasons Why," "When You Come Back Down," and "Lighthouse's Tale" from the Nickel Creek album, "This Side," "Speak," and "Smoothie Song" from This Side, and "When In Rome" from Why Should The Fire Die? On "The Lighthouse's Tale" I love the gorgeous scenery in the background and how as death becomes apparent the imagery also turns darker. The way the director did "Speak" was excellent. A crowd is gathered in a movie theater watching the trio sing their story about love lost. One movie-goer tries to leave so Chris grabs his mandolin and follows him out the door so he can hear the song all the way through. "When In Rome" is one of the most interesting Nickel Creek videos. The whole time you will be wondering what the deeper meaning is for each and every scene.
Nickel Creek is a trio of wonderfully talented musicians and it shows on this CD/DVD release. Sometimes you don't realize what kind of mark they've made on "boundary less" music until you see it contained in a greatest hits configuration. Not only can you listen to their wonderful music, you can also watch seven of their videos. The videos are just as great as the songs and the directors did a wonderful job interpreting the whole feel of the music.
