CRITIC'S CHOICE

Tim O'Brien, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday, January 19, at Swallow Hill Music Hall, is a local boy who continues to make his mark beyond this locality: His current press material includes heartfelt testimonials about his abilities by Mary Chapin Carpenter and Lyle Lovett, among other rich and/or famous people. A veteran of Hot Rize and Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers, O'Brien reminded observers with last year's solo effort Rock in My Shoe (on Sugar Hill) that he's as adept behind the mixing board as he is in front of the microphone. His work is not quite country, not quite folk, not quite bluegrass, not quite rock, but it's all O'Brien. And that's plenty good enough for us.