Tim O’Brien – Traveler

Tim O’Brien’s recordings are always musical journeys. Traveler — the first O’Brien album to put a tight focus on his fine songwriting since 1997’s When No One’s Around — focuses on movement and exploration, and what may or may not be not revealed along the way. On average, we take 10,000 steps a day. Some simply get us to the next step, others are more enlightening. Some trips occur only in the mind. O’Brien explores both the simple and profound moments of inner and outer rambles in the eleven originals here. He anchors each song with guitar and mandolin played from the heart, drawing on many crossroads of acoustic roots music while aping no particular genre. The jaunty opener “Kelly Joe’s Shoes” is a tribute to a pair of Converse high-tops and the friend who gave them to him (fellow musician Kelly Joe Phelps). The accordion-happy tune and O’Brien’s warm vocals establish an instant comfort level. Things get serious on track two, though, as O’Brien dwells on the big picture with Ola Belle Reed’s “I’ve Endured”, a song with old-soul feel reflecting on the long path of a challenging life. Throughout the album, O’Brien ventures to see things more clearly through the experience of travel. In the title track, he sings, “We are but travelers on a road without end/Searching for signs that the spirit might send.” Whether he’s taking a back-roads trip to the Mississippi Delta, a walk around the block, or the long path with his wife and family, O’Brien is writing about forward motion. The supporting players (Dirk Powell, Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer and Kenny Malone among them) keep things kinetic with a friendly vibe. Their playing is subtle yet stellar; they know Traveler is about the songs, and what they have to tell.