Tim O’Brien made his name in the bluegrass field, but his musical interests stretch wider. On Pompadour, the talented multi-instrumentalist (he plays fiddle, banjo, mandolin and guitar here) seamlessly weaves a number of musical styles into his acoustic-based tunes. There’s a jazzy, Tin Pan Alley feel to the title track, a humorous ditty with lines like, “I look like Christopher Walken/run amuck with a styling gel.” O’Brien’s spirited electric guitar lends a rock edge to the rollicking “Gimme Little Somethin’ Take Her Off My Mind.” The jaunty “I Gotta Move” reveals his Roger Miller admiration and he accents the English folk balladry in the Woody Guthrie/Billy Bragg collaboration “Go Down to the Water.” The most surprising cover, however, is “Get Up Offa That Thing,” a James Brown number transformed into an Appalachian funk tune. The album also finds O’Brien in a reflective mood. “Pompadour” and “Whatever Happened to Me” ponder the vagaries of life, while “The Tulips on the Table” addresses a fading marriage. He ends the CD on upbeat notes with the sweetly sentimental “I’m a Mess for You” and “The Water Is Wise,” which suggests life’s twists and turns lead to an enjoyable ride—much like this diverse, delightful album.