Dan Tyminski

Known by the mainstream, if at all, as the guy who lent George Clooney his pipes for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and by bigger bluegrass fans, as guitarist and occasional mandolinist for Union Station, Alison Krauss's band, Dan Tyminski still hasn't dug his claws into most music listeners' consciousnesses. Maybe it's that much of his appeal comes from the quietness with which he delivers most of his fairly traditional songs (most covers; some original). Tyminski's not a belter, despite what you may remember of "A Man of Constant Sorrow." What he does is give the impression of singing loudly by infusing the sound he projects with effort from the boots up, honing his tenor like the sharp and delicate instrument it is.

His voice is never as potentially off-putting as those of the Stanley Brothers, but he hasn't been puffed up and warmed over to take the edge off like many a nouveau bluegrass practitioner. Tyminski, as would be expected, has a weakness for the sentimental—as on the story song "Some Early Morning" and the surprisingly successful "The One You Lean On." However, he can usually sell cornball lyrics on the strength of his voice, and he's not afraid to cut loose with a zippy, jaunty number to change the pace, as with the marvelous "Who Showed Who," which marries a foot-tapping beat to a tale of woe and misery. The selection of songs here isn't quite as strong as on his debut album, Carry Me Across the Mountain, but it's still a delight to listen to him work.

—Hillary Brown
06.30.08

You can't accuse Dan Tyminski of trying to cash in on his fame. After his star turn as the singing voice of George Clooney in the Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou? and collecting a couple of Grammys and CMA Awards, he didn't quit his longtime gig as guitarist with Union Station, he just kept doing what he's so good at, pickin' first-class bluegrass guitar and adding supporting harmonies to Alison Krauss' luminous vocals. He did cut a solid solo album amid all the hoopla, and this splendid follow-up is another solid example of contemporary bluegrass songcraft, with nine tunes by Tyminski, two by fellow Union Station member banjo player Ron Block, and one by Blue Highway's Tim Stafford. The title track kicks things off with a classic ramblin' song accented by the mournful fiddling of Justin Moses and Block's understated banjo. Tyminski's vocal is full of stark yearning. "Some Early Morning" is a murder ballad in the tradition of "Long Black Veil," the tragic tale of a man falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit. Tyminski's unaffected vocal makes the tale even more heart-wrenching, while the harmony vocals of Cheryl and Sharon White add an extra measure of poignancy. Tyminski also wrings every bit of emotion out of love affairs gone wrong. "Heads You Win Tails I Loose" is built around the wordplay of the title, a slow mournful ballad of frustrated love that sounds like a classic. Block's "It All Comes Down to You" is a wailing song of sorrow that places the blame on the departing lover, even as Tyminski's vocal seems to wallow in its own unfathomable pain. "Who Showed Who" is another murder ballad, this time the tale of a woman who snaps under the strain of an abusive marriage and kills her husband, leaving her children without a family. The set also includes an instrumental, "Knock Knock!," that gives Tyminski a chance to show off his not inconsiderable skills on the mandolin. It may have taken Dan Tyminski eight years to cut this album, but its 12 tracks of bluegrass heaven make it worth the wait. ~ j. poet, All Music Guide