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Music CD - Tim O'Brien: The Crossing
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Music CD: The Crossing
Artist: Tim O'Brien
List Price: $16.98
Our Price: $10.22
Your Save: $ 6.76 ( 40% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Alula
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Tracks:
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1. Ireland's Green Shore
2. A Mountaineer Is Always Free
3. The Crossing
4. Into The West
5. Wagoner's Lad
6. Down In The Willow Garden
7. The Kid On The Mountain
8. Lost Little Children
9. Ireland's Green Shore (Instrumental)
10. John Riley
11. Rod McNeil
12. Lord McDonald/Cumberland Gap
13. Talkin' Cavan
14. The Ribbon In Your Hair
15. Yew Piney Mountain/Dusty Miller
16. Wandering
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0616498101428
Label: Alula
Manufacturer: Alula
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Alula
Release Date: 1999-05-04
Studio: Alula
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: An international treasure
Comment: 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."
Customer Rating:
Summary: A terrific collection of songs and performances
Comment: Hard to add much to the reviews already written. You will definitely like this CD alot. O'Brien draws on major talent from both sides of the Atlantic to assist him on this project and almost every cut is superb (the rest are just real good). Tim O'Brien is in fine voice and his harmonies with Del McCoury, Kathy Mattea, and others are right on the money. One of the most impressive aspects of this project is the quality of Tim O'Brien's songwriting. I'm sure "A Mountaineer is Always Free" is destined to become a bluegrass/folk classic and his "Talkin' Cavan" is a great (and hilarious) tale of genealogy tourism gone awry.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Taking a Chance on Tim
Comment: It's a truism that if you don't try new things you'll never know whether you like them. Tim O'Brien was a new artist to me when I got this album, and on the first play I wasn't sure whether I'd made a good choice, but it grows on you. There's authentic folk music ("Wagoner's Lad"), original music successfully imitating folk (the chilling "John Riley," which is *not* the song you remember Joan Baez singing--this one focuses on a little-known aspect of the 1846-7 war with Mexico, and if I didn't *know* it had been written expressly for this collection, I'd have thought O'Brien dredged it up from some obscure traditional songbook), instrumentals and "talkin' blues" ("Talkin' Cavan," which reminds me a bit of "Alice's Restaurant"). Worth your listen.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Bluegrass Music Meets Its Celtic Roots
Comment: I first encountered Tim O'Brien twenty years ago as the vocalist/fiddle player in the bluegrass band Hot Rize. On this solo outing (which he dedicates to Hot Rize guitarist Charles Sawtelle), O'Brien takes us on a musical journey to his Celtic roots with a wonderful collection of both original and traditional songs.The album opens with the traditional "Ireland's Green Shore" and is followed by "A Mountaineer Is Always Free," an O'Brien original who lifted the title from the West Virginia state motto. The title track is a rip-roaring original fiddle tune. "Wagoner's Lad" is a lovely duet with Kathy Mattea. One of my favorite tracks is "Talkin Cavan" which features O'Brien on guitar doing a terrific take on Bob Dylan as he tells of his 1998 trip to Ireland to find the old O'Brien farm cottage in County Cavan. Each tune is proof of the musical connection between Irish and American folk music. And with guest musicians like Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Seamus Egan (whistles, bodhran), Todd Phillips (bass) and Jerry Douglas (Hawaiian guitar), the music is nothing short of spectacular. Earl Scruggs even shows up on the instrumental medley "Lord McDonald/Cumberland Gap." If you like Tim O'Brien, Celtic music, bluegrass, folk or any combination of the above, you'll find much to cherish on this album. Total running time: 63:10 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Customer Rating:
Summary: Brave New World uncovered by the Crossing ...
Comment: As a fan of both celtic traditional and bluegrass music I was wary of a CD claiming to be a hybrid - too often it means an unsatisfactory compromise where original flavours become watered down and insipid. I need not have worried - Tim O'Brien has produced one of the most amazing and rewarding musical journeys I've followed for some time. Not only do the players from the two traditions blend instinctively and harmoniously but the tracks , mostly songs, are marvellous vehicles for new and exciting directions. There are superb performances all round, vocally from O'Brien with guests Paul Brady, Maura O'Connell, Kathhy Mattea, Del McCoury etc and musicians Altan, Frankie Gavin, Jerry Douglas, Earl Scruggs, Seamus Egan and a host of others and the sound is fresh, acoustic and vital, requiring no production gimmicks or effects. Standout songs for me personally are "Mountaineer is Always Free", "Lost Little Children", "Wandering" and "John Riley" although there is not a weak track on the CD. It is obvious that for Tim O'Brien this has been a labour of love. If you like acoustic music, from any tradition, either side of the Atlantic, you'll love it. Several of my friends have bought it on my recommendation and agree it is brilliant.
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Editorial Reviews:
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The artist himself calls this project "the inevitable next step for a bluegrass singer-songwriter in his mid-40s named O'Brien," but in this description O'Brien sells himself short. It's only the "inevitable next step" for a musician who is passionate about his craft and his culture, conscientious about his music's deep roots, diligent in their exploration, and bold enough to celebrate them. O'Brien organizes a sort of family reunion that brings together Irish folk, its Appalachian old-time son, and its bluegrass grandson. Like with any family, all of these musical generations enjoy many shared traits and these similarities are brilliantly accented across 16 diverse yet related songs. O'Brien taps a number of resources, ranging from traditional Irish musicians like fiddler Frankie Gavin and wind player Seamus Egan to bluegrass stalwarts like Earl Scruggs, Del McCoury, Stuart Duncan, and Jerry Douglas to modern old-time enthusiasts such as David Grier and Dirk Powell to new-acoustic pickers like Darol Anger, Edgar Meyer, and Mike Marshall. O'Brien even enlists Guy Clark as lyricist for "John Riley" and unveils a marvelous original talking blues ("Talkin' Cavan") done in Dylanesque style. The result is an album that is both ambitious and comfortably traditional. --Marc Greilsamer
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