All I Do is Lie

Sean Watkins keeps plenty busy; he worked on a Fiction Family project, a Nickel Creek reunion, and his fourth solo album all in relatively the same time frame. Nothing suffers either. All I Do Is Lie is as strong and effective as any album he’s made, and from the opening “Since the Day I Was Born,” Watkins sounds like he’s in complete control. The pedal steel–accompanied “Made for TV Movie” captures a forlorn mood that’s both expertly executed and emotionally true. It’s a difficult balancing act. Many former child prodigies fall back on technique, but Watkins keeps his heart and his faith in all he does. And it's not an overbearing testament of faith; it's a gentle part of himself that he shares with us (“The God You Serve”). “Wave as We Run” throws fiddle and sweet harmonies together for yet another fine heat-of-the-summer song. What follows is a back-porch jam called “Don’t Say You Love Me,” which has roots in genuine country music and yet has a modern folk flair that lets the song cross the decades.