I think you're being a bit hard on Ould Paddy, michaelr. Granted, he jumps on the pop bandwagon early and often, but this album has little to do with O Brother. For one thing, he doesn't really use the "O Brother" crowd, just a few members thereof. Second, the current CD is the first of two, which were recorded at one set of sessions but will be released separately. If a lot of the "O Brother" crowd are on the first one, it's just 'cause they figured they have to sell the first one to have any hope of selling the second. (The second, by the way, will have the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on it among others).

Paddy has wanted to record a second country album since 1992, when Another Country got two Grammies but didn't sell too well. They were changing record companies and Paddy feels it fell through the marketing cracks. Those slow sales stuck in his craw--he's admitted as much to me. So I think as a point of pride (petty, some might say) he wanted to see if he could do better. The immediate impetus to do it now was a feeling that he should express solidarity with America after September 11th. Now, this may be "bandwagonism" too, but I think we can give him the benefit of the doubt.

Fads he doesn't like? Gangsta Rap, Punk, acid jazz...