Mutual Admiration Society

This collaboration between former Toad the Wet Sprocket front man Glen Phillips and Nickel Creek's Sean and Sara Watkins and Chris Thile was rehearsed and recorded in six days in 2000 and is the result of a true mutual admiration between the parties. Some of the eight originals bear a connection with Phillips's erstwhile band, especially a song like "Somewhere Out There" with its lilting rhythms and dreamily atmospheric chordal structure. What's most telling is the breadth that this new context allows him as a songwriter. The rootsy Americana, subtle voicings, and front-porch settings seem hundreds of miles from the more urban character of Toad. It's nice to see Nilsson's "Think About Your Troubles," one of a handful of covers, emerging as a contemporary standard in new acoustic circles (having also been released this year in a version by the Asylum Street Spankers). MAS's version of Jon Brion's "Trouble" shows the ease with which these players blend pop sensibilities with the resilience of tradition. --David Greenberger  more