Customer Reviews

Night Vision

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

 

 

When I'm stressed out or feeling down, I love to listen to this album. It connects with my dark mood in the first few songs, then I slip into a reverie for "Islands In A Black Sky". Back to reality for "Clocks Don't Bring Tomorrow...", and then "When The Sun Goes Nova" imparts a "don't take yourself so seriously" kind of message.

After that I close my eyes and let "Deja Vu" and "Lightstorm" wash over me. Finally the hopeful and beautiful "God Bless The Children" leaves me feeling good again. Repeat if necessary. :-)

'Night Vision' is Bruce Cockburn's fourth and now OOP album/CD. Without question Cockburn is the most eclectic, diverse musican I've ever listened to. Every album is a totally unexpected and highly enjoyable musical experience.

In 'Night Vision' Bruce's unexpected twist this time is a unique and clever excursion into the blues genre. This -10 track- collection is absolutely delightful. Perfectly capturing the blues experience with such tunes as: 'You Don't Have To Play The Horses', 'The Blues Got The World'... and 'When The Sun Goes Nova', you will find yourself returning to this CD over and over again. Especially on cold and rainy days.

Highly Recommended!!

This album brings in some very deep emotion. The songs "Islands in a black sky", "God bless the children", and "You don't have to play the horses" indicate a heartbroken, yet still hopeful perspective on a very real view of the world. That is what I dig so much about Cockburn, he is down, yet he doesn't give off futility. He offers hope and urgency to a world plagued by poison and famine. I feel his perspective is very correct in this day and age, Stuff is going down, it may not be in our back yard, but it's in somebody's and it is great that bruce is sending the message.

For newer fans of BC, this has got to sound rather dated. For an old guy like me, this is a golden gem in my record collection, but if you are easily bored by acoustic based guitar works of instrumentals, folk, blues, and jazz, read no further.

"Foxglove" starts the set as a short Django Rheinhart style upbeat instrumental ditty, with articulate and skillful guitar picking. If you play guitar yourself, prepare to be impressed.

"You Don't Have to Play Horses" shifts moods quickly to the blues, and Bruce heavily using acoustic slide guitar and a jazzy backbeat. Bruce's vocals and lyrics are stark, cynical and biting here.

"Blues Got the World..." omits the last part of the line, which is "...by the balls." This is something you might expect on an Eels CD rather than from a Christian composer, but this all is done in a lighthearted, tonque in cheek way - it works. It reminds me of the Eels, how they treat the starkest subjects with an upbeat melody and beat. This is acoustic guitar and vocal only. Again, amazing and lightning fast guitar work, and the tune will etch permanently in your brain.

"Mama Just Wants to Barrelhouse" is a jazzy bluesy piece employing acoustic piano and guitar with "nightclub jazz" style bass and drums. It sets the perfect tone for the gritty, blues vocals from Bruce. It's amazing to hear this.

The first 'side' (of the record) finishes off with "Islands in a Black Sky," which is a solo guitar instrumental composition that Bruce has never been able to match since this disc. The closest thing to it was "Water Into Wine" from "In the Falling Dark" and that pales in comparison. This track alone makes this worth the purchase. As a earlier reviewer said, side one is phenomenal.

We part ways with side two, which I find even better than side one.

The piano-based "Clocks Don't Bring Tomorrow" brings the jazz flavor that I think makes this disc so special. My only regret is that he didn't explore these jazz leanings in subsequent albums. This is also Bruce's best vocal on the disc.

"When The Sun Goes Nova" is the only track that one might say is weak. It is short and fairly listenable, with solo acoustic guitar, but the cornball lyric seems out of place with the mood of all the other tracks.

However, all is forgiven when "Deja Vu/Lightstorm" begins. Another stellar piece, this showcases the talent of the studio team he gathered for this effort, and returns the listener to the stark yet inspired tone of the disc. We shift from a daydreamy jazzy and ethereal feel, and then builds to a stormy fusion climax. It is breathtaking to hear.

The disc ends with the upbeat and reassuring ballad "God Bless the Children", which stands as one of the best, if not the best song he has ever written. For some reason this song needed to be at the end lest the listener take all of this too seriously. The listener is left smiling and reaching for many more plays.

Buy this disc.

If you liked this disc and this era of Bruce, may I also humbly suggest purchase of Sunwheel Dance and Sun, Salt and Time. All are worthy additions.

The best of Bruce's work up until In the Falling Dark. He starts to move much more forcefully from pure folk to pop and rock influences than he did on Sunwheel Dance. Mama Just Wants to Barrelhouse is still a classic Bruce tune. The second half of the album doesn't measure up to the first, but this is still a nice effort.