Search - Tim O'Brien :: Chameleon (Dig)

Please know that I tried...but I can't overlook the songwrit

Sound/Word Enthusiast | Rhode Island, USA | 04/24/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I have endless admiration for Tim O'Brien the picker and Tim O'Brien the singer. There are albums of his that I've spent a lot of time with: his unjustly obscure "Guess Who's In Town" disk on Biscuit City (which consists mostly of swing-type tunes); his great collaborations with David Grier and Dirk Powell ("Hootenanny") and again with Powell and John Herrmann ("Songs from the Mountain" -- killer O'Brien vocals on that) and his album with Darrell Scott ("Real Time"); his work with Hot Rize and NewGrange; and right through to his O'Boys album with Schatz and Nygaard and his album of Dylan songs, "Red on Blonde." It's hard to fault his tasteful playing and soulful, unique singing on any of these.



That said, I've never connected with Tim O'Brien the songwriter. He's had occasional gems scattered throughout his career -- "Walk the Way the Wind Blows," "More Love," "Hard Pressed," etc. -- but I've always found his writing inconsistent, and with a bit of a silly streak that just feels forced to me. Maybe he and I just come from different perspectives, but I feel like with his other talents being so staggeringly great, he should consider relegating his songwriting to 2-3 strong cuts per album.



So, naturally, I am not part of the target audience for a full album of O'Brien's original songs. I was hoping "Chameleon" might change my mind on his writing, but no dice. The same things that always rankled me -- the aw-shucks goofiness, the uninteresting peace and love platitudes, the unleavened sentimentality -- are in full effect here. To me, a fair amount of it smacks of laziness (he nicks the refrain from "Cotton Eyed Joe" twice?). I'd rather him sing the tar out of "Molly and Tenbrooks" than write a new song based on it ("Hoss Race," which again borrows some phrases from the older song). Do I really care about his stodgy views on cellphones ("Phantom Phone Call") -- and didn't Kristin Andreassen write a much better song about the same topic on her recent album? "Megna's" is a song that is simply the call of a neighborhood vegetable vendor, with little insight brought to the main character or his condition. Surface stuff...My point being that, unfortunately, O'Brien's immense gifts as a singer and musician (some nice pickin' here, by the way, on a variety of instruments) only serve to heighten the vapidity of much of his songwriting.



I gotta be honest...I'm sure I'll get some flack from my comments, but, well, I guess I was biased going in, but I tried to put all that out of my mind. But all my old qualms came back to me, in shades of mediocrity. Do you like how I stole that old Paul Simon line and recontextualized it to virtually no effect? Then you might like this album..."

Where's Love Come From, Where's Love Go?

prisrob | New EnglandUSA | 05/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The whole effort is just Tim O'Brien, no other artists, singing and playing 16 original songs with only one instrument for each tune. They range from the jazz-based, to the gospel, to Celtic influences. Obrien's talent as a song-writer is tremendous." JP Tausig



I know Tim O'Brien and this CD has me tappin' my toes, clappin' my hands and movin' all over. Tim O'Brien is a living legend in many areas of music. 'Chameleon' runs from traditional bluegrass to Scots-Irish ballads to folkie. Tim O'Brien plays the guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and banjo, and sings and writes many songs. Who could ask for anything more?



My favorite song 'Where's Love Come From, Where's Love Go?' it is an up-tune jazzy kind of song full of questions and no answers. The title song, 'Chameleon'-feels like an old John Denver tune, it fits Tim O'Brien.

'The Only Way To Never Hurt' is an old time country heartbreak song. 'Get Out There and Dance' is a song my 5 year old granddaughter would love- "you gotta get out there and get in the grove- step it to the left and step it to the right- as long aa you're doin' it, do it right'". 'There's Nothing To Say'- love the lyrics and momentum- "just a guy who plays a guitar, who comes and plays where ever you are'.



"The bottom line is that Tim O'Brien is a stellar songwriter, a stellar instrumentalist, and an intuitive producer. All those elements come together swimmingly on this, his 14th solo record. In fact, Chameleon is, dare I say, will surely prove to be one of the best folk and roots releases this year." Chris Gome



Folk songs, country songs, Irish Celtic songs, are all the genre of music that assists us in remembering our heritage; where we have gone, where we are going and what are we gonna do. Tim O'Brien is one of the masters-



Highly Recommended. prisrob 05-11-08



Traveler



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A Folk Record for Both the Adult and the Child in Us All

Maggie Mae | Memphis, Tennessee | 05/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tim O'Brien on this album reminds me of Woody Guthrie, especially the way he sings "This World was Made for Everyone". That song is very evocative of "This Land is Your Land. Got a child at home, four or five years old, he or she is gonna smile a lot with "Get Out There and Dance" and "Megna's". And if you want to give a listen to some pickin' extraordinaire just give a listen to "Crooked Road."



Time plays guitar, mandolin, violin and bousouki (yes that's a real instrument) on this album and he does them all expertly. "Nothing to Say" the closer on the album is my favorite, it seems so personal to Tim, but I also particularly like opener "Where's Love Come From," and "Safe in Your Arms," another song that seems autobiographical. This is a good CD, with something here for the adult in us all and for the child too."