Search - Tim O'Brien, Darrell Scott :: Real Time

Excellent album

Michael V. Spanjer | Kentucky, USA | 06/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I own some of Tim O'briens work and some of Darrell Scott's work, and I enjoy this album more than either of them. The collection of songs, and the collaboration of these 2 musicians makes this the kind of album you can sit and listen to straight through...then listen again and again for years. As one of the other reviewers said, its hard to believe these were recorded in a living room. Unless you just can't stand banjos, guitars and mandolins, you'll enjoy this album.

The tunes are mostly what I'd describe as "lively". Some might fall into the "heartfelt" category as well."

One of my favorite albums of all time

Nobody important | 07/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I currently own somewhere around 1500 cds of many genres, and this gem is one of my desert island albums. Tim O'Brien and Darrell Scott are two of the most all-around talented musicians on the planet, and they mesh perfectly. I bought this album years ago because Tim O'Brien is my favorite bluegrass singer. I don't like "clean" singers-- I like singers whose voices have character, and Tim's voice is absolutely perfect for bluegrass and old-time country. He also happens to be adept at virtually every instrument with strings, although not an astonishing virtuoso. This album introduced me to the genius that is Darrell Scott. His voice is quite different from Tim's. He isn't a raspy singer like O'Brien, but he has a perfect country voice without the annoying nasal tendencies of most popular country singers. (Incidentally, since he writes most of their songs anyway, if you want to know how pop country songs are SUPPOSED to sound, then listen to Darrell). Like O'Brien, he is also adept at pretty much everything with strings. Together, with no studio trickery and no band getting in the way, O'Brien and Scott recorded some of the most evocative and powerful country/folk/bluegrass I have ever heard. I admit it-- I get a kick out of listening to flashy instrumentalists (of which bluegrass has MANY), but sometimes it is just more satisfying to hear two soulful musicians pour out their guts, stripped of any inessential instruments or superfluous notes. This album is perfect, and anyone who wants to hear perfect country/folk/bluegrass with nothing extraneous needs to own it. I simply cannot say enough positive things about this album.



Unfortunately, Darrell Scott has never really recorded anything else like this album. His solo albums are wonderful, but they have larger arrangements, and frequently more of a rock influence. They are fantastic, particularly his live album with Kenny Malone and Danny Thompson (yes, from Pentangle). However, I would love to hear Darrell record like this more often. Tim O'Brien recently released Chameleon, which is a collection of solo acoustic recordings that comes close to this album, but doesn't quite reach the level of perfection here. The only other albums that really approach this album in quality and over-all mood are the Norman Blake/Tony Rice duet albums. Norman Blake's singing voice is nothing special, and Tony Rice's voice, while wonderful, doesn't have the dark qualities of O'Brien's, nor even Scott's voice. However, those albums are outstanding, simple, bluegrass duet albums."