Long Monday

1	Long Monday 3:42
2	Two Coats 3:35
3	Lonesome Dove 3:35
4	Working on a Building 4:12
5	Fox Run the Henhouse 2:31
6	Dear Departed 4:02
7	What a Sight to Behold 3:32
8	Shady Grove 2:07
9	Ridin' out the Storm 4:01
10	Hard Rains Lately 3:45
11	Five Generations of Rock County Wilsons 5:13

Barnes & Noble

A sought-after sideman (for, among others, Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless, and his co-producer here, Kenny Chesney), Tim Hensley steps out of those shadows with a compelling debut effort comprising traditional songs, well-chosen covers, and a couple of his own originals set in a decidedly rootsy, all-acoustic framework. With backing from acknowledged masters such as dobroist Rob Ickes and fiddler Aubrey Haynie, Hensley (playing mandolin and guitar) shows off a clear, expressive tenor voice made doubly effective by his artfully nuanced phrasing. The lilting title song, by John Prine and Keith Sykes, sets the tone with its spare, fingerpicked guitar and Jeff Taylor's gently crying accordion lines supporting Hensley's tear-stained memories of a stormy romance. Keyed by keening twin fiddles courtesy of Aubrey Haynie and Deanie Richardson, "Lonesome Dove," a co-write by Larry Cordle and Carl Jackson, is a rich, western swing-flavored heartbreaker; it's beautifully realized in the rich mix of fiddles, guitar, and Ickes' piercing dobro lines, but it's a tough ride lyrically in its depiction of a burned lover's anguished kiss-off. Among the traditional numbers, the gospel standard "Working on a Building" receives a brooding quartet arrangement heavy on the bass vocal bottom, with the fiddle-banjo-mandolin complement providing a dark, unsettling atmosphere. By contrast, the briskly rendered "Shady Grove" jets into the stratosphere on the explosive fuel of rousing, speed-picked banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and guitar solos. Arguably Hensley's best vocal performance here comes on the down-but-not-out take on Rodney Crowell's acutely observed "Ridin' Out the Storm," yet another occasion for Ickes to showcase his sense of the dramatic with a penetrating dobro solo. Good work, Tim. Don't be a stranger. David McGee

All Music Guide

Singer, mandolin picker, and acoustic guitarist Tim Hensley has been a sideman for many country music and bluegrass stars including Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless, and Kenny Chesney, who helps out on this debut album by co-producing with an ear toward the traditional side of country music. The album is split between covers, traditional tunes, and Hensley originals that show a writer with great promise and deep faith. "Two Coats" is a subtle spiritual that likens salvation to a new winter coat; the dobro of Rob Ickes and Deanie Richardson's fiddle make the tune sound as warm and comfortable as the coat in the title. "Working on a Building" is based on a traditional Southern gospel hymn, and Hensley's stately reading imbues it with plenty of soul. "What a Sight to Behold" is a poignant portrayal of the death of a friend who sees the end as a bright new beginning. The song is a beautiful testament to true love and faith. "Shady Grove" shows the rowdy side of bluegrass with lightening-fast picking from David Talbot on banjo and Richardson on fiddle. The other uptempo tune, "Fox Run the Henhouse," is another song with a suggestion of spirituality -- don't expect to get to heaven if you make bad choices in life, but the message here is delivered with subtle country humor. Hensley's strength is as a ballad singer, and the diverse covers he chooses give him the opportunity to show his deep emotional connection to the material. "Dear Departed" is about lost love, a slow bluegrass tune full of aching pain magnified by Hensley's keening vocal. Rodney Crowell's "Ridin' Out the Storm" is the tale of a homeless man shivering on the streets of New York in a cardboard box who still retains his pride and enough knowledge to know that his path is the result of his own poor choices. Hensley closes arrangements with a series of wordless wails that echo like a lonesome winter wind. This promising debut shows Hensley infusing bluegrass, country, and singer/songwriter material with a high tenor imbued with a humble spirituality that should win him plenty of fans. J. Poet