New Country, September 1994
There's nothing like a shared gene pool for creating sweet harmonies. Voices born of the same family have a special affinity for the intricate closeness of duet harmonies and siblings Tim and Mollie O'Brien shine on their latest release, Away Out on the Mountain. Tim got his start as mandolinist, songwriter and founding member of the progressive bluegrass band, Hot Rize, while sister Mollie honed her skills in various jazz, blues and rock bands.
Framed by simple, acoustic settings, the O'Briens' tightly woven harmonies float through the songs and present "roots" music at its best. Time-tested topics grounded in Americana and combined with a healthy reverence for tradition lend a friendly and comfortable back porch feel to the music.
Whether teaching lost love lessons via the blues on "That's How I Learned To Sing The Blues," or tripping through tough times on the Cajun-flavored, "Bad Day (Hole in Your Shoe)," their voices rise and fall in tight vocal interplay. While they have the duet harmonies down pat, the O'Briens soar when supporting each other by trading lead vocals. Mollie's sad and mournful lead on "Orphan Girl" rises to meet Tim's backing harmonies and fills. And the somber folk ballad "Don't Let Me Come Home A Stranger" works in reverse, with Tim on the lead and Mollie chiming support.
The O'Briens relax with many genres including gospel, bluegrass, country, blues, folk and even cowboy songs, but all bear the common stamp of tasteful authenticity.
Country Music People, December 1994
Away Out On The Mountain / Wichita / Orphan Girl / He Lifts Me / When I Was A Cowboy / Tragic Romance / Don't Let Me Come Home A Stranger / Home By The Sea / Price To Pay / That's How I Learned To Sing The Blues / Bad Day (Hole In My Shoe) / When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again / Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down / Father, Adieu
Sugar Hill SH-CD 3825
A new Tim O'Brien album is always cause for celebration, doubly so when he is joined by sister Mollie. This is the duo's third album for Sugar Hill and, in many ways, their finest. The material includes older material from such as Jimmie Rodgers, A.P. Carter and Leadbelly through to modern writers like Lucinda Williams and newcomer to the Nashville scene, Gillian Welch. The backings are as delicate as one would wish. Discounting the snare and high hat that provide a subdued percussion, rarely more than three musicians are used on any track. The title track, one of Jimmie Rodgers' more lighthearted songs, includes some neat, synchronized yodeling and happy accordion. He Lifts Me is a modern uptempo gospel song and Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down is bluegrass gospel at its best. Leadbelly's When I Was A Cowboy is a western-style number and harks back to Tim's days with alter ego band, Red Knuckles. Tragic Romance is the oft told tale of love gone wrong, Don't Let Me Come Home A Stranger is the Robin and Linda Williams song given a strong reworking. Home By The Sea comes from the pen of Alvin Carter and dates back almost sixty years, demonstrating that a good song never has a sell-by-date, while Lucinda Williams' Price To Pay is high on my list of favorite cuts. That's How I Learned To Sing The Blues has a delightful thirties feel, there's a touch of Cajun to Bad Day (Hole In My Shoe) and, on the old standard, When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again, the two voices twist and twine so effectively as to give a whole new dimension to the song, aided by effective Merle Travis-style picking from Tim. Father Adieu is a beautifully delivered rhythmic chant. Away Out On The Mountain is not the kind of music you'll hear on CMT. It's simply Tim and Mollie with a handful of superb musicians, reveling in their vocal and instrumental skills, a front porch gathering, if you will, with no regard for chart breakouts, heatseekers or bullets. This will be one of my top albums of the year.