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
Various Artists
Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo
MISSY RAINES & THE NEW HIP
INSIDE OUT
The Wayfaring Strangers
Train Home
SLAID CLEAVES
SORROW & SMOKE LIVE AT THE HORSESHOE LOUNGE
RALPH STANLEY
A Distant Land To Roam
ROCKY VOTOLATO
The Brag & Cuss
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.