About this Artist

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

Employing only his earthy tenor and his collection of vintage and contemporary guitars, bouzoukis, mandolins, and fiddles in service to 16 new original songs, Tim O'Brien -- unlike the protectively colored reptile of his album title -- is not trying to hide anything from anyone. At once boldly intimate and universal in its explication of the human experience, Chameleon is, not incidentally, a heck of a lot of fun. "Phantom Phone Call" is hardly an uplifting tale, as it details a fruitless wait for a lover's return, which evolves into a cautionary tale about how "the mobile phone is a threat to the human race"; but O'Brien's exuberant fiddle support is abundant in its life-affirming energy. Musing about the transient nature of romantic love in "Where's Love Come From," the artist presents his philosophical musings against a backdrop of frisky, fingerpicked guitar, which serves as a surprising setup for the deeper answer he seeks. Of five co-writes, three of the best find O'Brien teaming with the estimable David Olney and Glen Hadley. The most compelling of their joint efforts is "The Garden," a heartbreaking account of a fellow whose long-unspoken love for a woman sears him when she reveals the demise of her love affair with another man. "This World Was Made for Everyone" offers some wry political commentary about the state of the Union, wrapped up in a folk-flavored toe-tapper as good natured as it is cuttingly insightful. And so goes Chameleon, changing and fascinating at every turn, a wondrous thing to experience. David McGee, Barnes & Noble

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