Customer Reviews

Chicken & Egg

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Just saw O'Brien in Lafayette where he played many of the songs on this album. They are wonderful, indeed. O'Brien combines the technical magic of Tony Rice with the artistic nuance of of Norman Blake to fashion bluegrass that is timeless and ineffably beautiful. The quality of his playing - and that of the other musicians on this album - is of a remarkably high level. You Ate the Apple - the opening tune - is irreverent and humorous (I wish my mother was still here so I could play it to her), and is immediately followed by My Girl's Waiting for Me, a song so besutiful it makes one ache. The album is a gem from start to finish.

Tim O'Brian is a master of multistringed instruments. The lyrics on this album are as good as his last album Chameleon. Looking forward to seeing him live again.

Well into his fourth decade as an artist and performer, Tim O'Brien has released another solid album. O'Brien wrote or co-wrote all but three of the album's fourteen tracks.

Among the originals are the seriocomic "You Ate the Apple" (a cautionary tale of sin and its consequences) and "Gonna Make Her Stay" (an optimistic look at second chances). While many of these tracks would qualify as folk songs, "All I Want" is a solid bluegrass number, and "Workin'" mines a definite rockabilly groove.

Among the cover songs are a couple of gospel numbers: "Sinner" and "Mother Mary."

I have had the good fortune to have seen O'Brien twice in concert, most recently at Telluride in 2009. (I even got the chance to visit with him for a few minutes after his set at a local bluegrass festival.) He's a talented multi-instrumentalist, a gifted songwriter, and an expressive singer. CHICKEN & EGG stands among O'Brien's best. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I don't have this CD - yet - but I'd just like to say that Tim O'Brien should be at least as famous as, say, Ry Cooder or Van Morrison. He's an exceptionally fine roots musician and songwriter, with a superb body of work behind him. I first came to him through Red On Blonde, his album of Dylan covers, and I've been playing it for many years and never tired of it. (I'm a big Dylan fan, and I don't think anyone has consistently covered Dylan songs better.) Every other Tim O'Brien CD I've picked up - five so far - has been a sheer joy. Even if you have only a mild interest in bluegrass, country or Celtic music, check him out. You won't be disappointed with whatever you buy. He plays brilliantly; sings with deceptive soulfulness, despite having a very conventional voice; he knows how to make albums that play all the way through, with no duds; and he always enlists top quality musicians to play with him and brings out the best in them. In my view, he's a major star who doesn't have the global recognition he deserves because he quietly goes about his business of being excellent. If you ever happen to read this, Tim, I tip my hat to you regularly. In our house, you're the bee's knees.

Tim O'Brien has a naturalness. It seems to come over things he does in a gentle wave that manages to soak through all it touches. There is a great line on the sleeve of his thirteenth solo effort, `Chicken & Egg' which reads "I called some friends together and we played this stuff without a lot of thinking. It felt so good doing it - whatever else happens is gravy. My Dad's gone but I see him smiling".
Well, Tim, it feels good hearing it. The album has a flow that comes from bluegrass masters in the heart of their craft. Surrounded by stellar players, Stuart Duncan (fiddle, banjo, mandolin, cello), Bryan Sutton (acoustic/electric guitars), Dennis Crouch and Mike Bub on bass and John Gardner on drums, the creative process took an interesting path. Tim recalled that he "figured out what songs would work with these guys, then I began singing and playing them around the house for a few months before the session. These musicians can all play amazingly well and they play a lot better if they are backing up someone who knows what they're doing. We just went in, sat down and I started calling them off". It is that kind of understanding that brought the multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter a Grammy win.
`Chicken & Egg' sticks to an acoustic delivery, its themes are a contemporary way of American life. `Not Afraid of Dyin'" has its narrator watching the news as he points out that he is "not afraid of dyin', it's just the waiting around that's wearing on me". Tim uses modern language that does not immediately fit on the more down to earth bluegrass soundtrack. He questions downloads impact and monitoring a GPS. In other hands, the appearance of today in something with the age of bluegrass may seem contrived. It is the ease of voice that tucks them into the songs like they were brought down from the mountain with the sound.
The tales definitely boast the perspective of the man. Tim points out that "I'm not the young kid on the scene - and I'm happy about that. I'm at a strange point in my life: my kids are growing up while my parents and teachers are passing on. There's a lot happening - but it's just life and that's what this album is about".
Tim's songs have been recorded by the Dixie Chicks, Nickel Creek, Garth Brooks, Dierks Bentley and New Grass Revival. On `Chicken & Egg' his blood children/songs share space with the step-kids/songs of collaboration. One posthumous pairing with Woody Guthrie, "The Sun Jumped Up", came about when daughter Nora Guthrie initiated the idea of sharing authorship by sending lyrics. The tracks theme stays true to the current take of life, the words ticking off a time code, creating a real time take on words and music. Rattling and rumbling across a forward pushing rhythm, "Workin'" Tim creates a laundry list of the working man jobs, letting the individuals know that "any man working is a friend of mine"
Yeah, natural, that is the way the music and the man come across.

Not a whole lot to say except that this is another wonderful CD by Tim O'Brien!! Great price - was received very quickly in excellent condition.

It is not his best, but still very good. Tim O'Brien cannot or hasn't been able to put out a song that will surpass "I've Endured". It is a wonderful song. Dana Pearson