Sean Watkins
All I Do is Lie
Reviewed by: Lara Supan
I bet you can’t listen just once.
Well here’s the listen of the summer folks. It’s got sunshine and a warm summer breeze built right into the orchestration, and you’ll have visions of running barefoot through a corn field before the album comes to a close. Each song is unique, brilliantly written and wonderfully performed. Each story is familiar and understated, in a tone so raw and vulnerable that you feel like he’s talking to you.
All I Do Is Lie starts with a song aptly titled “Since the Day That I Was Born”, with the lead line being “I’ve known you since the day that I was born, you know every seam where I’m torn.” This sets the stage for the rest of Watkins’ soft-spoken and humble pieces, and will make you feel like you have, in fact, known him since the day you were born. With a cast of characters like Watkins’ sister Sara Watkins, multiple instrumentalist Greg Leisz and the infamous Gillian Welch collaborating on this album, Watkins has a lot to brag about. Each song has a carefully picked collection of instruments, ranging from acoustic guitar, to organ, to dobro. This creates the beautiful sensation of a story in motion, and keeps the flow going throughout the album.
Ending with a simply stated instrumental titled “Meredith”, Sean Watkins has got a piece of gold on his hands. This is a purely joyous summer sound track, with each song as solid as the last. Sit back, grab an ice cold beverage and let Watkins whisk you away.
Rating: 
