Small Source of Comfort

Bruce Cockburn (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 8, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2011
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: TRUE NORTH
• ASIN: B004JO1ZFM
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,613 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

With a career that has spanned four decades producing an acclaimed body
of work that has sold over 2 million copies worldwide, Bruce Cockburn
continues to be revered by fans and fellow musicians alike as one of the
most important songwriters of his generation.
Small Source of Comfort is Cockburn s fi rst studio album in six years - a
rhythmic and highly evocative collection of 14 new tracks inspired by
his renowned unusual and diverse muse - recent trips to Afghanistan
and ponderings on the re-incarnation of Richard Nixon, to road trips and
unreturned phone calls. The album boasts some of the best musicians
recording today, including violinist Jenny Scheinman, former Wailin Jenny
Annabelle Chvostek, and long time collaborators Gary Craig, Jon Dymond
and producer Colin Linden.
As both a songwriter and a guitarist, Bruce Cockburn is considered among
the world s best. The New York Times called him a virtuoso on guitar,
while Acoustic Guitar magazine placed him in the esteemed company of
Andrés Segovia, Bill Frisell and Django Reinhardt.
Cockburn s songs have been covered by such diverse and talented artists
as Elbow, Jimmy Buffett, Judy Collins, Anne Murray, Chet Atkins, k.d. lang,
Barenaked Ladies, and the Grateful Dead s Jerry Garcia.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Bit Of A Return For Bruce March 11, 2011

By Bornintime VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Bruce has been in a slump for a while, both in quality and quantity of new music. Of course we have been spoiled for a long time. The first 20 years of Bruce's career he released 15 studio albums and in my opinion every one of them was pretty great. Over the past 12 years before this new release Bruce put out just 2 new studio cd's; I thought they were the 2 worst albums of all his work (although I liked a few songs off of You've Never Seen Everything).

So I had some trepidation when I listened to Small Source Of Comfort for the first time. I was happy to hear that Bruce is back creating some of the great music that we have come to expect over the last 4 decades. Bruce opens up with the catchiest tune on the cd "Iris Of The World" - an infectious song that has some great Bruce wordplay. It is a unique Bruce travelogue, a modern day "How I Spent My Fall Vacation".

Next is "Call Me Rose", the single from SSOC. The song, if you can believe it, is written from the viewpoint of Richard Nixon who has been reincarnated in the body of a single mother living in the projects. From the description I pictured a novelty track that I would probably listen to a few times and have no desire to put on again. I find myself really liking this song. Bruce captures a feeling of resignation and perhaps even a chance at redemption (maybe Richard Nixon wishes this song was true). That's the other thing I like about this cd. Bruce seemingly has laid aside the anger that in my opinion marred some of the songs on the last 2 cd's. Not to say he doesn't address some issues here; It is not an album that ignores the state of the world. He just seems to be a little bit more at peace with himself.

I won't go into each track but the overall feel of the album is acoustic, yet often rhythmic. The songs stand up to repeated listening. Bruce's voice, one of his greatest gifts, is beautiful - deep and resonant. And the lyrics are often beautiful. The production goes well with the material unlike the overproduced Life Short Call Now.

I personally could do without 5 instrumentals. 1 or 2 would suffice for me. They are quality songs and Bruce plays them beautifully. You may disagree. But nothing is lost since there are 14 songs total.

The last song "Gifts" was written in 1968. It is a gorgeous short poem (perhaps prayer) set to music. Bruce's manager wanted him to record it for his first album. Bruce said he would rather record it for his last. At almost 66 years old we never know when the last album will be. As Bruce said once, "Everything that exists in time runs out of time one day". Whenever it ends he certainly will have left behind a vast amount of wonderful music.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Consider, if you will... March 20, 2011

By hihowrya

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

this troubadour and activist, a musician's musician, a songwriter's songwriter, a committed humanitarian who sings his heart and soul in his life's work to touch us and make a difference. Cockburn has the ability to make us listen not only to the music but to the poetry, his lyricism at work to reach out. Consider, for instance, "Each One Lost" and the inspiration behind it:

"Each One Lost (Camden East 13/09/09) - "On the way into Kandahar Airfield from Ottawa, our little group spend a few hours at Camp Mirage, a Canadian staging base in the Middle East. As we were about to board our next plane, we found ourselves part of a Ramp Ceremony, honouring the remains of two young Canadian Forces members who had been killed that day and were being sent home. One of the saddest and most moving scenes I've ever been privileged to witness...this song is dedicated to the memory of Major Yannick Pépin and Corporal Jean-Francois Drouin." ([...])

Bruce Cockburn is a remarkable soul who puts his heart into his artistry. I deeply appreciate the artist and the man.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's a Bruce Cockburn album. March 23, 2011

By Jeff Neuman Lee

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Every time I get a Bruce Cockburn album I'm initially disappointed. It's not as good as the last. Yeah, there will be a gem or two which stand out, but the rest doesn't quite hit. But I've learned to keep listening.

On Small Source of Comfort the first two tunes are pretty catchy, Call me Rose stuck in my head for a couple of days. But I am very attracted to Boundless and Each One Lost. Again Cockburn does things different, not doing it the same as previous albums. And yet there is a depth and honesty which continue through everything he does. He cares about his music, cares about what he is saying, and works to get the music/message/art out there. He actually does have a lot to say.

During the W years, he put out an album called "Speechless". It was all instrumental. He's good that that, sometimes amazing. But the title made sense to me, in the face of needless war and a world going into an environmental spiral down, what else was there to say? Well he did follow that up with "Life Short, Call Now," an album held together by a trumpet and the sense that while this life is full of murderous hypocrisy, there still remains a mystery that gives hope.

Then, with Small Source, the album feels like it is sort of the rubble at the end of a career. Beautiful rubble, but still, threads of ideas from a whole variety of sources. They don't seem to connect to each other, as beautiful and mature as each one might be alone. The last song does tie it together. It's an old song that I hear he would hold for his last album. I hope not.