A year or so ago I had the great good fortune to discover Mark Brine. Now, he wasn't new to music; no, he'd been around for some time. However, due to Nashville's ever-hungry "feed the mainstream" attitude of the last decade and more, most folks hadn't gotten the opportunity to hear Mark sing. My deprivation came to an end, though, with the release of "Fortunes," a best-of collection that introduced me to Mark's singing and let me find out what I was missing. For decades this guy's been hanging around Nashville and country music. Boy, do I hate finding out I'm living under a tarp.

Anyway, now Mark's come back again with a disc of songs culled from his earliest sessions upon coming to Nashville (circa 1978) as well as some never-before-released gems and other delicious tunes that breathe new life into old styles. These songs are timeless, ageless, reminiscent of the early folk-country sound of the Carters yet with a full-flavored modernity and powerful production values. Mark's old-sound tenor, that oh-so-homey nasal whine which so often characterizes the real folk flare, embraces his music whether he's singing straight-up country such as the title track, "I'm Not Anyone" or the powerful cover of the Bee Gees classic "Words."

American Roots Music came to mainstream notice with the release of "O Brother Where Art Thou?" yet it's managed to stay largely hidden from view, possibly because so many different styles have been by default placed under the banner of "Americana," from the old-time folk and bluegrass to straight-up Hank Williams-style honky-tonk, as well as Roots Rock and Blues. Still, when it comes to those diverse Americana traditions, Mark Brine is as classic as you can get. The songs on "I'm Not Anyone" encompass many of these styles in their purest, oldest forms.

The disc starts off with a little honky-tonk piano at the top of "I'm Not Anyone," a two-stepping love song written by Thomas Wright, which is completely at home on an old jukebox, a wonderful weeper with that old theme, "I'll treat you better than he does," a pure country tune guaranteed to get the couples on the dance floor, with some sweet steel guitar to bring it all home. "Hello Lady" moves time forward, electronic piano (played by Jerry Smith) and background vocals straight out of Golden Age Nashville, a song I'm just surprised I never heard on the radio back in the 70's.

"It's Me" likewise has a strong sense of a mid-70's country classic, a rootsy swing with a little tambourine and some crisp guitar work from Phil Baugh. Mark delivers the song with an odd sense of irony and bitterness in the tone, which gives the tune a powerful bite it probably wouldn't have otherwise, a "for some reason I love you, moron" twist that digs deep, a cut you don't notice until it starts to bleed.

The eerie "Lord-Sellin' Preacher" is a story song, gospel irony, an old folk style in an extremely modern style, with some amazing background vocals by Kathleen Hogue. The lesson learned by a traveling preacher man is a timeless story, and no matter how oft told it never seems to be taken to heart by those calling themselves "Christian" even as they turn away their fellow men, forgetting the message of compassion in the name of the almighty dollar.

The sweet vocals on "Words," coupled with some beautiful steel guitar courtesy of Russ Hicks, turns this pop hit into a lovely country ballad, the mingling of instruments and sad voice very nicely replacing the multi-layered harmonies of the original. Brine's voice is well-suited to such delicate lyrics. There's a return to the pure country sound with "I'm Coming Home," Phil Baugh’s guitar coupled with curtains of choral vocals entwined with Buddy Spicher’s fiddle, that mixture of rural and urban that characterized Golden Age Nashville, putting Brine right at home with fellows like Eddy Arnold and Ray Price, who could sing cowboy songs and turn around to stand in front of the orchestra and deliver lovely lead vocals.

The acoustic guitar work from Cliff Parker on "That's When You'll Want Me Back Again" is coupled with more of that impressive steel work (again, the amazing Russ Hicks) to give another country song ready for the honky-tonk, a little weeper for the crying-in-your-beer set. There's more fine acoustic work on the very folksy "How Come We Can't Live Together?" a tune that would sound right at home on the back porch, a delicate and plaintive query about the curiosities of love, with Mark handling the guitar work himself with only piano and bass accompanying him.

One of the finest songs on the disc is the gorgeous "Mr. Marty," another story-song, one of those in the tradition of Tom T. Hall, about an old trucker sadly watching life driving on by him. So beautifully played and sung, it's easy to cry along with; some more gorgeous guitar playing from Mark and that classic country tenor cry-in-the voice. "Dreams ('Nother One Of Them Dreams)" is pure country roots, with a little Texas-style fiddle (Linda Joseph) accompanying the thumpa-thumpa guitar playing (Brine), a song that sounds as though, an octave or so lower, would have been right at home with Cash.

"Point of No Return" is a rocking Dylanesque number that closes out the disc with a quick, driving, rootsy display of Mark's true range and skill, as he plays the guitars and lays down some very fine vocals.

As a whole, the disc plays out nicely, with warmth and passion and skill. Although the songs were recorded over the span of years, they fit together well. It’s a wonderful thing, good music. This is good.

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