Further Down the Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessions

1	The Raggle Taggle Gypsy / Nickel Creek 3:09
2	Jordan Is a Hard Road to Travel / John Hiatt 3:29
3	Hick's Farewell / Allison Moorer 4:26
4	Shady Grove / Tim O'Brien 2:18
5	The Girl I Left Behind / John Prine 3:13
6	Rosc Catha Na Nuimhain/Arkansas Traveller/The Wild Irishman 4:19
7	Lambs in the Greenfield / Emmylou Harris 3:19
8	The Moonshiner/I'm a Gambler I'm a Rambler / Joe Ely 3:13
9	Wild Mountain Thyme / Don Williams 3:55
10	Chief O'Neill's Hornpipe / Chet Atkins 1:55
11	Bandit of Love/The Cheatin' Waltz / Carlene Carter 3:13
12	The Squid Jiggin' Ground/Larry O'Gaff / The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 3:15
13	Three Little Babies / Patty Loveless 4:09
14	Fisherman's Hornpipe/The Devil's Dream / Doc Watson 2:10
15	Talk About Suffering/Man of the House 4:34
16	The Lily of the West / Rosanne Cash 4:21

Barnes & Noble

The Chieftains struck gold with 1992's Another Country, which matched Ireland's preeminent folk ensemble with the lights of American country music. They returned to the well for the lauded Down the Old Plank Road a decade later, and once again explore the links between blue grass and the green grass of home with the logically titled Further Down the Old Plank Road. The star-studded album also marks the last recording from longtime Chieftain Derek Bell, the harpist who passed away in October of 2002, who is in fine form and talented as ever here. Many of the guests on Further Down have joined Paddy Moloney's men on the two previous albums: Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, John Hiatt, Chet Atkins, and Doc Watson have no problem finding their way from the mountain music of Kentucky to the strains of Ireland's rolling green hills -- and back. A shot of youthful adrenaline comes from Nickel Creek and Allison Moorer. Several tracks are reprised from the band's DVD, a live concert at the Ryman Auditorium, released in April of 2003.

All Music Guide

In 2002, the legendary and insanely prolific Irish ensemble the Chieftains released Down the Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessions. Utilizing American icons like Ricky Skaggs, Del McCoury, and Lyle Lovett alongside the blossoming Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, their interpretations of traditional Irish and Appalachian staples yielded a surprisingly lucid bounty. Not surprisingly, the sessions also yielded another record. Further Down the Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessions follows the same thread on the neo-traditional loom, pitting the Celtic heroes against such heavyweights as Doc Watson, John Prine, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, while incorporating younger artists like Nickel Creek. The Chieftains, possibly the tightest veteran band still performing, have made a career out of effortless creativity and sheer enthusiasm, especially for projects like this one. On the gorgeous "Chief O'Neil's Hornpipe," Paddy Maloney's bittersweet piping effortlessly segues into Chet Atkins' understated picking. It's like listening to a couple of old friends sharing a beer on a Sunday evening. Emmylou Harris croons "Lambs in the Greenfield" that'll leave a lump in your throat, and Tim O'Brien tears through a version of "Shady Grove," fueled by the ancestral flames of its birth. Only the forced soul of Allison Moorer's "Hick's Farewell" and Don Williams' generic rendering of the classic ballad "Wild Mountain Thyme" keep Further Down the Old Plank Road from being a major achievement. Reverend Lee Power