TIM O'BRIEN
Two Journeys (Sugar Hill)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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The title of Tim O'Brien's latest refers directly to the Acadian migrations first to Nova Scotia and then to the Louisiana Delta, where they came to be called Cajuns, as described in the Dirk Powell/ Christine Balfa song on the album. In a less direct way, it could refer to the journeys of the Irish to America and the return journeys of Irish Americans to the land of their ancestors. That theme resonates throughout the disc, overtly on O'Brien's "Me And Dirk's Trip To Ireland."

Tim O'Brien has included Irish music in his performing repertoire at least since his days with Hot Rize, and this set, dominated by Celtic themes and including the contributions of top Celtic players like fiddler Kevin Burke and piper Paddy Keenan, is long overdue. While most of the music is either O'Brien originals or his arrangements of traditional material, two interpretive pieces deserve special note. His cover of Robert Emmet Dunlap's "Mick Ryan's Lament," set to the tune of "The Garryowen," is one of those tracks that make me sit up and say "I've gotta learn this one now!" A great song, impeccably performed. The disc closes with the Lennon/McCartney song "Norwegian Wood," O'Brien's acknowledgement of the Irish roots of the two Beatles (Liverpool is an English Boston - i.e., an Irish city on foreign shores.)

This is a wonderful pairing of American and Irish folk, featuring tour-de-force instrumental backings and strong, sensitive vocal treatments.

Track List:

Turning Around * Mick Ryan's Lament * For The Fallen * Paddy Fahey's/Garret Barry's/The Cliffs Of Moher * The Apple Press/The Apple Cart * The Holy Well * Me And Dirk's Trip To Ireland * The Lancer's Jig/Gusty's Frolicks * What Does The Deep Sea Say? * Two Journeys (Deux Voyages) * The Tide Flows Into Miltown * Pear Tree/Muddy Roads/Ladies' Pantelettes * Norwegian Wood

© 2002 - Shaun Dale