Bluegrass-rock? Acoustic funk? With only mandolin, guitar and fiddle, Nickel Creek's startling musical dexterity and genre-crossing appeal - the band's 2002 "Smoothie Song" from This Side was a hit on modern rock radio, and it was instrumental - blows the roof off traditional bluegrass and acoustic music. On the band's third, Why Should the Fire Die?, mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile - also an accomplished solo artist - and guitarist Sean Watkins handle most of the songwriting, from the near-rock of "When in Rome," to the delicate and dark "Jealous of the Moon" and fiery instrumental "Scotch & Chocolate." But on "Best of Luck," it's Sarah Watkins's voice and fiddle - both of them sweet and aggressive - that make this album, and trio, unstoppable.
