Real Time
The fruit of an ever-blossoming musical friendship, O'Brien and Scott's first co-billed collaboration recalls classic outings byRicky SkaggsandTony Rice, or the O'Kanes. Handling all of the various stringed instruments, the two lean into assorted originals, classic Hank Williams (including a stunning a cappella "A House of Gold"), and hill-country traditionals as if looking to move mountains. O'Brien has become a household name for acoustic aficionados, but Scott's dirty tenor and clever songwriting should win him new fans. Lines such as "When I was a young boy, I learned to play the guitar / It was me and ol' Jimmy Beam down at the local bar / I lost my childhood but I earned me a trade / There ain't no easy way" help explain why Scott has graduated from sideman to full-fledged partner. For his part, O'Brien plays like a wizard and sings like one of the elect. Spare and old-timey as a woodshed, driving as a steam-powered train,Real Timeis as real as folk music gets.--Roy Kasten