2011-02-28
Over 30 albums into his career, Bruce Cockburn continues to deliver fresh and provocative perspectives on the world and the human heart, spiced with excellent guitar playing and a splash of exotic sounds from instruments such as bells or gongs. This time, Bruce goes mainly acoustic, choosing not to dress up the numbers very much and the result is a slower, more languid record. That's not all bad, and on songs like "Call Me Rose" (about Richard Nixon being reincarnated as a single young woman with kids in the projects), the life-reflective piece "Iris of the World" and "Five Fifty-One" (driving at the break of dawn) are great additions to the Cockburn legacy and the instrumentals ring. I wouldn't rank this as one of Bruce's best, but this guy sets such a high bar that his "average" outings outshine most of his peers. 02/11 MJVD F-Contemporary
BLIND WILLIES
Needle, Feather, and a Rope
ROBERT EARL KEEN
READY FOR CONFETTI
Richard Shindell
Not Far Now
MAD TEA PARTY
Big Top Soda Pop
KENDEL CARSON
Rearview Mirror Tears
SLAID CLEAVES
SORROW & SMOKE LIVE AT THE HORSESHOE LOUNGE
The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.