Are You Ready [Import]

Blue Rodeo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 10, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Wea International
• ASIN: B0007ZRZRY
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #552,363 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From Amazon.ca

With an impressive total of 10 Blue Rodeo studio recordings and five Juno awards in 20 years, Canada’s most consistent country-pop kings have stuck to what they do well on Are You Ready: making toe-tappin’ music that fans of torch and twang will welcome with open arms. The disc’s kickoff track, "Can’t Help Wondering Why" is a three-minute, sunshine-y joyride that leads straight into the rockabilly-riffs of the Orbison-esque number "Are You Ready?" Near the end of the CD, however, the exact opposite emotion is evoked. "Tired of Pretending" brings Keelor’s full-frontal passion to the surface, the result is a compelling, gut-busting rant about apathy, where the co-frontman screams out "I’m tired of pretending that I still care."

Rockabilly pokes its head out on more than one occasion; a strong Celtic influence bleeds through as well, courtesy of Keelor’s "Phaedra’s Meadow" which features the legendary Paddy Moloney from the Chieftains on the Aeolian pipes and flute. The song’s sparse, spooky opening verse proves to be the disc’s highlight, a musical moment in time that is neither country, nor pop, but shows that the boys of Blue Rodeo continue to take inspiration from a host of styles, ultimately making their own rich, warm musical melee. --Denise Sheppard

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blue Rodeo returns to form!, September 15, 2005

By 

D. A. Latham (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Are You Ready (Audio CD)

Although typecast as Country/Pop/Rock, these guys sure know how to make music. These twelve cuts return them to their "Five Days in July" and "The Days in Between" form. Needless to say, I love it. This is as good and as honest and as fun as any music that is being made today. The writing/singing duo of Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor have been called the "Canadian Lennon & McCartney." I'm not sure there is a much better endorsement in the entire Pop/Rock world. I have been a long, long time fan and this album sits on the shelf along with the rest of the amazing catalog. They are one, if not the top, of my favorite groups for a single reason: they make great music.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo..., December 24, 2005

By 

musik knutt (West Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Are You Ready (Audio CD)

You can stack this moment in music with Blue Rodeo's "5 Days In July". I'm not crazy about the first cut, but thereafter, watch out! This album soars with at times with a 60's sound which sounds fresh and fun! Typically, great Blue Rodeo ballads are in this mix, penned by Cuddy and Keelor, writers who can stand with any other writers, past or present. This is their best work since "5 Days"...I hope it won't be their last! I have this brilliant groups entire collection as they are easily one of my favorite groups and I'm not sure my wife listens to anything else! Once Blue Rodeo gets into your system, you're addicted and happily so...ENJOY!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These lads can do no wrong, April 16, 2005

By 

Carol (North York, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Are You Ready (Audio CD)

My first listen-to was while I was doing some work at my computer. Nothing jumped out and grabbed me (OK, "Five Days in July is my favourite of the other 8 albums of theirs I own; I have favourite songs on every one) and my colleague, another major fan agreed with me. HOWEVER, I played the album through at home, earphones from my CD player firmly plugged into my ears, twice without pause. Oh, the melodies, the harmonies, the arrangements...now they ARE jumping out and grabbing me. I wasn't paying attention before, but I am now, and this ablum really demands, and deserves, attention. I particularly liked "Rena" and "Phaedra's Meadow"; in "Tired of Pretending" these phrases from the last verse caught me in a very vulnerable mood: "...and the smoke curls like a river/to some forgotten land/floating abandoned the mystery concealed/like the moonlit shadows/on a snow covered field/where the wind knows no mercy". First the listening, then the discovering. A polished set, showcasing the maturing sensibilities of a highly talented group of musicians who, by now, know they have nothing to prove but, apparently, have an unending wealth to share. Lucky us.