The Earliest Bird: Top New Recorded Release 7-8-22 – 7-14-22, “(Remember Me) I’m the One Who Loves You” by Watkins Family Hour, Fiona Apple Reviewed

The Civil War and Nickel Creek stand as the two best Americana country, folk bands ever. The Civil War had one, and Nickel Creek, who formed in 1989, still perform together from time to time though Chris Thile went on to host “A Prairie Home Companion” and the other two thirds of Nickel Creek, the siblings Sara Watkins (fiddle) and Sean Watkins (guitar), went on to form Watkins Family Hour.

Watkins Family Hour started playing together in 2012 at Largo Nightclub in L.A. which makes them a part of the extended L.A. scene, which explains why they went on tour with patron saint Jackson Browne, and also explains why Fiona Apple showed at the NPR in back in 2015 and seven years later joins the siblings on a sublime cover of Stuart Hamblen’s “(Remember Me) I’m the One Who Loves You”. Hamblen was a singing cowboy in the 1930s and maintained a great career as he dovetailed into Gospel (like his father, a Methodist Preacher, and so JC was always in the house).

Sara and Sean get all over “(Remember Me) I’m the One Who Loves You”, a terrific little country song and Fiona Apple, who has only done a coupla covers since the heart of the pandemic scene setter Fetch The Bolt Cutters in 2020, joins the duo on harmonies while Sara takes the lead on an excellent rendition of old school country from a little remembered songwriter. Sara owns the song here but the other two are much more than window dressing on a fine and pretty version.

My problem with Nickel Creek was my problem with personal idiocy (I kept mistaking them for Nickelback and refusing to check em out) and all that is left is to keep an eye on City Winery because you just know Watkins Family are coming to town…

Grade: A-