Dan Tyminski Carry Me Across The Mountain (Doobie Shea Records DSCD-2002) Dan's eagerly awaited release, "Carry Me Across The Mountain" is another step forward for one of America's finest bluegrass and roots performers. The album expands his instrumental palette and broadens his lyrical focus while maintaining the spark that made his work with Allison Krauss’ Union Station so fresh and inspired. Tyminski won two CMA Awards at the 35th Annual CMA Awards Show held in Nashville. Dan was nominated for Single of The Year for "Man of Constant Sorrow" and Album of The Year for "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (Mercury Records), and won both awards. "No way this just happened," Tyminski said. "I suppose I should thank, George Clooney, for one." On each track, one can begin to feel how music at its very best can absolutely erase the boundaries between story- telling, emotional expression and spirituality. Dan Tyminski’s fans have been waiting for this album for a long time. Perhaps you've heard the modern traditional bluegrass he created with the Lonesome River Band, or maybe you've heard him on Doobie Shea Records’ Stanley Brothers tributes (Grammy-nominated The Stanley Tradition and its IBMA award-winning successor, The Stanley Gospel Tradition) or by his own high profile work as a key member of Alison Krauss’s Union Station. Dan is constantly finding hidden places of the soul and illuminating them with fresh light that reaches me and a lot of other people. It takes courage to do this, but enormous talent to wrap these feelings into a beautiful song. The album is filled with dynamic lyrics supported by beautiful melodies and harmonizing vocals. It is an album that takes the listener on a journey that spans the varied musical territory Tyminski has traveled over the past ten years, with some of the most outstanding talents in bluegrass today for company. There are exciting reunions with past and present bandmates, most notably the title track, which brings together Union Station’s current lineup along with former member, Adam Steffey. It also features songs with Ronnie Bowman and Dan’s brother, Stan. The album features intriguing new combinations with bluegrass alumni like the legendary Tony Rice on guitar, the brilliant Smilin’ Jim Mills on banjo, Nashville fiddler extraordinaire Aubrey Haynie and acclaimed tenor singers Steve Gulley and Dwight McCall, of J. D. Crowe and The New South. All of the guests featured here bring to the music the same qualities that Tyminski does, loads of talent, intense focus and most importantly--soul. Dan has chosen to open and close the album with two songs with storylines set in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The contemporary ballad “Carry Me Across The Mountain,” with its dark yet ultimately triumphant tale of maternal love overcoming nature’s perils, might almost have been written specifically as a counterpart to the venerable “Sunny Side Of The Mountain,” which disguises the inner sadness of a distant love with its cheerful description of a place “where the rippling waters fall.” The polished collection presented here show the band is ready to take that trademark sound a step further, adding sparkling production techniques to enhance the imagery of their compositions. Tim Austin and Dan Tyminski performed an impressive job of capturing and maintaining the magic on all of the tracks. I cannot recommend this CD highly enough to any fan of great bluegrass or acoustic music. Tracks on Carry Me Across the Mountain 1. Carry Me Across The Mountain 2. Stuck in the Middle of Nowhere 3. I Dreamed of an Old Love Affair 4. Greens Fees 5. Think About You Everyday 6. Praise The Lord 7. Tiny Broken Heart 8. Please Dear Mommie 9. Be Assured 10. Faith Is A Mystery 11. Sunny Side of the Mountain Review by Ben Kettlewell information: http://www.dantyminski.com/dan/index.cfm

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