CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Chameleon

by: Tim O'Brien

Release Date March 25, 2008
...this has the feel of a half-baked demo. I won't be listening to it a second time.

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Songs From the Mountain

by: Tim O'Brien, John Herrmann, Dirk Powell

Release Date July 09, 2002
I am from the Appalachian foothills in eastern Kentucky, and love the mountains. The music on this CD reminds of music I heard while growing up in a small mining camp in the 1950s. The music is simple, raw, and emotional. It is the kind that you might have heard performed by a family or friends gathered on the porch at the end of a hard week's work. My favorite tunes are The Blackest Crow, Angel Band, When I Die I'll Live Again, Wayfarin' Stranger, and Bow Down. (My least favorite is Fair Margaret.) Several good instrumentals on here, as well.

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Fiddler's Green

by: Tim O'Brien

Release Date September 13, 2005
This grammy award winning album is a must for any O'Brien fan or anyone interested in bluegrass or newgrass type music. From his days in Hot Rize until today O'Brien continues to be the quintessencal performer. He is the whole package- song writer, singer and musician extraordinare!

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

Real Time

by: Tim O'Brien & Darrell Scott

Release Date February 22, 2005
This is one of the best CD's I own. I had bought it for my brother a few years ago and loved it so much that I had to buy one for myself. It is Darrell Scott and Tim O'Brien at their best. It is simple and straight forward and not overproduced. It's like you are sitting and listening to them singing live in a personal concert.

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Two Journeys

by: Tim O'Brien

Release Date July 09, 2002
Like a lot of us in recent years, Tim O'Brien got to be curious about his Irish heritage. And, being a musician, he got the opportunity to explore his heritage in tunes, melding the bluegrass he's been playing for years with the distincitive sounds of Ireland.

The two styles aren't wildly separate, but there's enough between them to make it pleasing to hear them together. From the slow philosophy of "Turning Around" to the playfulness of "Me & Dick's Trip to Ireland," from the antiquity of a ballad like "The Demon Lover" to a stirring new number like "The Holy Well," this album bridges the gaps and makes art out of the finished product.

Only in America could this sound have been created. But only in Ireland could it have been ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

Red on Blonde

by: Tim O'Brien

Release Date June 18, 1996
I recently viewed a PBS pledge week special of Dylan's Newport Festival Concert and being 71 it brought back so many memories of songs I've liked but forgotten. I'm with the reviewers who always felt I should like Dylan, and I know the poetry is in there but have difficulty catching lyrics and his voice.

I was on a search for a single only of Subterranean Homesick Blues but couldn't find a download of Dylan doing it without a whole CD or video. Lucky I stumbled on this and discovered Tim O'Brien. Then I bought the whole album on download anyway after sampling. WHAT A TREAT!! I had never heard some of these and I love bluegrass/Celtic/folk and it's not only beautifully blended here, but I can understand most of the lyrics better than originals and can ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

The Crossing

by: Tim O'Brien

Release Date May 04, 1999
Seriously, this recording (and it's follow up "Two Journeys") are treasures.

ALL of the real heavies from both Celtic music and bluegrass are on this record. Seriously, from Earl Scruggs to Altan- they're all here. Others have attempted the same Celtic/bluegrass hybrid but THIS is the best.

My favorite track is the utterly chilling story of Irish- American soldier of fortune "John Riley." The music was written by Tim with lyrics by Guy Clark and features REALLY SCARY slide guitar from Kelly Joe Phelps.

And then when you realize that it's a true story....

Every schoolkid in America (or Ireland) should get to hear this recording.

And then be sure to check out "Two Journeys."

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

Traveler

by: Tim O'Brien

Release Date August 12, 2003
The advance singles from this album, "Less and Less" and "Kelly Joe's Shoes," are a fair representation of what this album consists of. The theme of the disc is summed up succinctly in the title: songs of rootlessness and the struggle to be who you are, not what you own or where you live.

Comprised almost entirely of original O'Brien compositions, this disc doesn't stick strictly to traditional bluegrass. It weaves in other styles, like jazz and pop, the way Garcia/Grisman did so deftly back in the day. Some songs, like "Restless Spirit Wandering" and "Travelers," are downbeat and contemplative, while others, like "Forty-Nine Keep on Talkin'" and "I've Endured," are bouncy and danceable without giving up depth of content.

Tim O'Brien is one of the great underappreciated ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

Away Out on the Mountain

by: Tim O'Brien

Release Date June 28, 1994
Tim O'Brien is a founding member of Hot Rize, a gifted songwriter, and an accomplished multi-instrumentalist. On this 1994 release he combines forces with his oldest sister for a stunning tour de force of old timey country/folk/gospel/bluegrass music that will raise your spirits and soothe your soul. Tim and Mollie's voices blend beautifully, and the sparse instrumentation throughout keeps the emphasis squarely on their vocal harmonies.

The songs are a mix of the old and new. Among the former, they perform a toe-tapping version of Leadbelly's "When I Was a Cowboy" and a lovely version of A.P. Carter's "Home By the Sea" with the accordian adding a mournful tone to the proceedings. Among the newer tunes are two from a then unknown Gillian Welch: the bouncy nastolgic "Wichita" and the melancholic ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

Take Me Back

by: Tim & Mollie O'Brien

Release Date February 17, 1993
Tim and Mollie are as good as ever with this cd. Good selection of songs, well performed, rates alongside their other albums. I had no doubts when I bought it but it met up to my expectations.