A Dotted Line
Studio album by
Nickel Creek
ReleasedApril 1, 2014 (2014-04-01)
GenreProgressive bluegrass
LabelNonesuch
ProducerEric Valentine
Nickel Creek chronology
Reasons Why: The Very Best
(2006)		 A Dotted Line
(2014)		 Celebrants
(2023)

A Dotted Line is the fourth major album release and sixth studio album overall by progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek. Produced by Eric Valentine, the album was released on Nonesuch Records on April 1, 2014, in the United States.[1]

A Dotted Line is the first Nickel Creek album since the band's hiatus following their 2007 Farewell (For Now) Tour. The release coincided with the trio's 25th anniversary. A subsequent tour was also scheduled to begin in April.[2]

Tracks include initial singles "Destination" and "Love of Mine," as well as two covers: Sam Phillips' "Where Is Love Now" and Mother Mother's "Hayloft."[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic82/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubB+[4]
About.com[5]
AllMusic[6]
The Oakland Press[7]
Paste8.2/10[8]
PopMatters[9]
USA Today[10]

A Dotted Line garnered critical acclaim. At Metacritic, they assign a "weighted average" rating to albums based upon the reviews by selected independent publications, and the album's score is an 82 out of 100, which means the album received "universal acclaim".[3] At Allmusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, stating that even "If there isn't much spark, there is a surplus of warmth; the trio is comfortable and relaxed, and it's hard not to succumb to such friendly, familiar vibes."[6] Brian Mansfield of USA Today rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of four stars, writing how on the release the trio "stretch pop parameters with imaginative arrangements."[10] At The Oakland Press, Gary Graff rated the album three-and-a-half out of four stars, saying that the release is "a welcome return from a hiatus well-spent."[7] About.com's Kim Ruehl rated the album four-and-a-half stars out of five, stating that on the release the trio did "no harm in exploring" musical territory as they seek to "push the evolution of music by starting with tradition and taking it somewhere some folks may say it has no business going."[5]

At Paste, Holly Gleason rated the album 8.2 out of 10, writing that the release is "Not merely a product of maturity, Nickel Creek has grown without losing its palpable joy or wondrous ability to make musicianship as accessible as the engaging way their voices draw listeners to them."[8] Brice Ezell rated the album eight out of 10 discs, stating that the release "is a work of supreme songcraft; one might call it a 'return to form', but from the sound of it, the form was never gone in the first place."[9] At The A.V. Club, Genevieve Koski graded the album a B+, saying how the release is "a ready-made best-of album, superb in execution but light on surprises".[4] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe gave a positive review of the album, remarking how the release "is a vibrant reminder of Nickel Creek's youthful promise and proof that it has plenty left to say."[11] At Relix, Kiran Herbert gave a positive review, observing that "there's not a song on the album that falls short."[12]

Track listing

All tracks written by Chris Thile, Sara Watkins, and Sean Watkins unless noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rest of My Life" 3:40
2."Destination" 3:51
3."Elsie"Chris Thile2:33
4."Christmas Eve" 4:23
5."Hayloft"Ryan Guldemond3:18
6."21st of May"Sean Watkins2:47
7."Love of Mine" 4:42
8."Elephant in the Corn" 5:10
9."You Don't Know What's Going On" 2:50
10."Where Is Love Now"Sam Phillips4:42

Personnel

Additional musicians:

Production

  • Eric Valentine - Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Mastering
  • Cian Riordan - Engineer
  • Justin Long - Studio Assistant

Charts

The album debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 with 27,000 copies sold in its first week in the US.[13] As of May 2014, the album has sold 47,000 copies in the US.[14]

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[15] 32
US Billboard 200[16] 7
US Top Bluegrass Albums (Billboard)[17] 1
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[18] 1

References

  1. 1 2 "Nonesuch Releases First Nickel Creek Album in Nine Years, "A Dotted Line," April 1". Nonesuch Records. February 18, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  2. ↑ Varga, George. "Nickel Creek adds reunion concert here". U-T San Diego. February 18, 2014. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Metacritic (April 1, 2014). "Critic Reviews for A Dotted Line". CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Koski, Genevieve (April 1, 2014). "Nickel Creek returns from a 7-year hiatus with a ready-made best-of album". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Ruehl, Kim (March 31, 2014). "Nickel Creek - A Dotted Line Album Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (March 30, 2014). "A Dotted Line - Nickel Creek". AllMusic. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Graff, Gary (March 28, 2014). "The Listening Room: Nickel Creek, Chiodios and more..." The Oakland Press. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Gleason, Holly (April 1, 2014). "Nickel Creek: A Dotted Line Review". Paste. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  9. 1 2 Ezell, Brice. "Nickel Creek: A Dotted Line". PopMatters. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Mansfield, Brian (March 31, 2014). "Listen Up: Other notable releases". USA Today. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  11. ↑ Rodman, Sarah (April 1, 2014). "ALBUM REVIEW: Nickel Creek, 'A Dotted Line'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  12. ↑ Herbert, Kiran (April 1, 2014). "Nickel Creek: A Dotted Line". Relix. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  13. ↑ Caulfield, Keith. "5 Seconds Of Summer Debuts At No. 2 on Billboard 200; 'Frozen' Still No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  14. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (May 8, 2014). "Country Album Chart News: The Week of May 8, 2014: Dan+Shay, Nashville Cast, Dierks Bentley, Cole Swindell, and Keith Urban round out Top 10". Roughstock. Archived from the original on 2014-05-08.
  15. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2014. 14. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  16. ↑ "Nickel Creek Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  17. ↑ "Nickel Creek Chart History (Top Bluegrass Albums)". Billboard.
  18. ↑ "Nickel Creek Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard.

Clean Slate Music - Album review - https://web.archive.org/web/20140224023558/http://cleanslatemusic.org/2014/02/23/album-review-nickel-creek-a-dotted-line-nonesuch-records/

Allmusic - A Dotted Line - Nickel Creek - http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-dotted-line-mw0002629075/credits

  • A Dotted Line at Nickel Creek's official website, with sound samples and video
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