Tim O'Brien

Tim O’Brien recently released two complementary albums simultaneously, which for all intents and purposes is one double album with each disc sold separately. Both albums offer mostly traditional Americana and folk staples in a solid, straightforward format.

The music contained within these two releases is top-notch, featuring the easily digestible vocals of O’Brien as well as his stellar mandolin and fiddle skills. And all the while, he provides the listener with a wide range of supporting sounds supplied by renowned guest musicians including Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile, Del McCoury, Dirk Powell and Kenny Malone, among others.

Most of the highlights here come in the form of oft-covered classics, including “Walkin Boss,” “House of the Rising Sun,” “Boat up the River,” “Long Black Veil,” and “Early Morning Rain.” If anything, what keeps all of these tracks fresh from one to the next is the constant change in instrumentation as no two back-to-back songs on either disc feature the exact instrumental lineups. This constant eclecticism allows each album to flow along like an ever-changing river full of short stretches of calmness and varying degrees of ripping rapids. The only complaint here is that this river, after fully digesting both Cornbread Nation and Fiddler’s Green, might be a tad too long. There’s no doubt that these albums contain some inspired moments, but you can question whether two separate releases was completely necessary. It may have ended a much tighter, focused release if the two discs were slimmed down and offered in one fat-free package.