Customer Reviews

All in Time

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All I have to say is that he has done it again. With or without Blue Rodeo, Jim Cuddy has what it takes when it comes to writing music. All in Time is a great album that reflects Jim's work on all kinds of levels. Not a Jim fan? Well this CD has enough catchy tunes to make you a die-hard fan. Here's a sneak preview; "I'll Make Believe It's You" - you won't be able to get this one out of your head for days and "Everybody Cries" will make you either cry or call your mom to tell her you love her. Performers like Jim give us, aspiring Canadian songwriters, the go ahead to try to make our dreams come true as he did.

I was looking forward to this solo outing, being a huge & longtime fan of Blue Rodeo. This album didn't disappoint at all! What impressed me the most was the songwriting. Jim Cuddy has always been a great songwriter in the band Blue Rodeo, but these songs seemed so much more personal. I loved that there were so many lines about the spirit & the soul & that really impressed me & connected me to the music. Lyrics like 'something reached inside of me & touched my ancient soul', 'she wears a mystical ring sparkles when she moves her hand', 'but here in my chest there's a feeling I don't understand'. Jim Cuddy has such an excellent voice; it's like he just wraps his vocals around the mike in such a smooth way. His singing gets better & better--not that it was ever bad, but he's learned to feature the strengths of his smooth vocals & how they just slide up & down the scale with the chords of the music.

Wow! A whole album dedicated to the music and voice of Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy. This is an exceptional album, a good mix of rock and country, and each and every song is great, although my personal favourite is "Too Many Hands". The 16 page booklet contains all lyrics and photos of the musicians. Melanie Doane lends her violin skills on 4 of the tracks and Baz from Blue Rodeo hangs around to give Jim the benefit of his bass on this album. If you like Blue Rodeo then get this album...you will love it.

Jim Cuddy is a Canadian treasure but Americans will find a home here with this absolutely beautiful album. This CD is actually a good primer for his Blue Rodeo work. Just buy and love it...you won't be able to help yourself.

Admittedly Jim Cuddy and Greg Keller truely shine together in Blue Rodeo; however, Jim's first solo album is a great illustration of what is to be expected when Jim and Greg pack it in. As described by Jim in concert, the songs represents certain snap shots in his life. It is with passion and conviction that he brings alive trips to the mountains and times spent with his daughter. I strongly recommend Jim Cuddy's All in Time release; as well, no collection is complete without Blue Rodeos' Like a Vaction live recording.

The musical production on this CD is pure Canadiana.

Jim Cuddy's vocals on this compilation are in prime form. At times, his vocals performance mirrors CHRIS ISAAC.
Lyrically the songs on this CD are brilliant.
The track TOO MANY HANDS is intelligent while being bittersweet.
This CD reflects the search of a true artist to define the meaning of life.
The perfect CD to play during a hot august evening.

If you love the down home country/pop sound of BLUE RODEO or WILCO then I suggest that you purchase this CD without hesitation.
It's unfortunate and sad that WARNER MUSIC CANADA did not have faith to promote this CD to retail when the CD went on the streets in 1998.

From the get-go, Jim Cuddy kicks off his first/only solo album with a fiesty fiddle-driven tune called "Second Son". It's a great little song with almost a Son Volt flavour. That is the first part of a one-two punch of the more laid back "Whistler" with it's campfire singalong feel of a chorus. After these two, however, it slows down beyond interest until "All It Time" comes back in rocking. From there, the album comes back up and is a better listen on the second half. It even features guest vocals by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy which is always a welcome addition.

One thing can be said about Jim Cuddy's songwriting and that is that it is static. If you hear a Jim Cuddy song, you know it's Jim Cuddy. That being said, there aren't a lot of surprises here even though more than half of ALL IN TIME is pleasant to listen to. On his songwriting, it must be said that he seems to be riding the same themes he was riding back in the OUTSKIRTS days. There's a little too much mentioning of crying and some of the songs ran unnecessarily long. The title track itself could have been better arranged with a shorter intro (it rides the same chord for nearly 45 seconds and doesn't arrive at the chorus until 1:30 into the song) and maybe no intro at all ("New Year's Eve").
Perhaps what's missing about this is Greg Keelor. The rest of Blue Rodeo was here for the most part, but Greg's absense is missed (though Greg's solo album seems to stand as a solo album better for some reason).
In any case, get it and enjoy it because there are a lot of good songs here.