Under the Pepper Tree

Sara Watkins

Released on 26/03/2021 by New West Records
Main artists: Sara Watkins
Genre: Country

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Ostensibly a children's record meant as bedtime lullabies full of optimism, Sara Watkins' new album is also an ideal salve for adults. The singer-songwriter-fiddler extraordinaire, known for her work with the "progressive bluegrass" band Nickel Creek as well as her own lovely solo albums, has created an album like no other. There is no turning alt-rock tunes into kids' stuff here, or any of the repetitive baby talk that makes parents want to bang their heads against a wall. Watkins chooses some of the prettiest classics imaginable and handles them with extreme cares. The album opens with "Pure Imagination"—aka "the Willy Wonka song"—and it's magical: filled with dramatic pauses and the singer's signature flourishes. Her warm voice wavers like butterfly wings, the slight California bluegrass twang dipping in and out, against fluttering strings. Each song slides directly into the next with barely a delay, and "Pure Imagination" is a perfect match for Disney's "Second Star on the Right," which then slips into an absolutely delightful version of "Blue Shadows on the Trail," reuniting Watkins with Nickel Creek bandmates Sean Watkins (her guitarist brother) and Chris Thile. Their harmonizing on lines like "all of the doggies are in the corral, all of your work is done" is pure comfort and joy, and a nod to the Watkins siblings' childhood performances at Western conventions. It's one of two tracks first made famous by Roy Rogers, along with "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds," for which Watkins is joined by I'm With Her bandmates Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O'Donovan. There are enchanting covers of "Moon River" and the Jiminy Cricket charmer "When You Wish Upon a Star," along with two originals: the ballad "Night Singing" and the instrumental title song, a wisp of tremulous fiddle. Watkins duets with Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith on a jaunty cover of Harry Nilsson's "Blanket for a Sail"—accompanied by gentle percussion, its melody rolls like ebb-current waves—and guitarist Davíd Garza on the Stephen Foster serenade "Beautiful Dreamer." She also teams up with her own young daughter for an impossibly delicate "Edelweiss," seemingly breathing the words more than singing them so as not to overwhelm the toddler's sweetness. It's all retro in the best possible way. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

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Under the Pepper Tree

Sara Watkins

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Pure Imagination