Speechless

Bruce Cockburn | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 27, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder Records
• ASIN: B000ASDG80
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,636 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #83 in Music > World Music > North America > Canada

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cockburn Displays His Instrumental Prowess, October 6, 2005

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Speechless (Audio CD)

Well into his fourth decade of recording (his self-titled debut was released in 1970), Bruce Cockburn has not been able to break out of his cult status in the United States despite his enormous popularity in his native Canada (where he has earned numerous Juno Awards). In fact, most Americans--if they have heard of him at all--only know Cockburn (pronounced "co-burn") from his lone 1980 minor hit "Wondering Where the Lions Are" or perhaps from the heavy rotation on MTV of "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" from 1984's STEALING FIRE. And that's a damn shame. Not only is Cockburn a distinguished singer-songwriter, he is an accomplished guitarist as this collection attests to.

There are only three new recordings, in addition to "Rise and Fall" from 1999 and previously only available in Japan. The remaining eleven tracks are taken from earlier albums. The oldest track is "Sunwheel Dance" (from the album of the same name) and like much of his early Seventies work has a very folky feel to it.

Some of the tracks mine a definite jazz groove like "Rouler Sa Bosse" from 1974's SALT SUN AND TIME and "Mistress of Storms" from 1996's THE CHARITY OF NIGHT. [The former includes Jack Zaza on clarinet and the latter features Gary Burton on vibes.]

Of the three new tunes, Cockburn performs solo guitar on the atmospheric "Elegy" with hints of Spanish influences, and "King Kong Goes to Tallahasse" is a lazy blues number that invokes John Fahey at his most melodic. On the final new recording, "The End of All Rivers," Cockburn incorporates world music elements by also playing Tibetan bowl and Navajo flute.

If you're looking for a solid introduction to the guitar prowess of this amazing musician, this collection does a thorough job of sampling Cockburn's entire career. SPEECHLESS may not have lyrics, but it speaks volumes. [Running Time - 68:50] VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but . . . ., October 7, 2005

By 

Robert E. Stone (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Speechless (Audio CD)

With all due respect to Eric Clapton, I believe that Bruce Cockburn is the guitar virtuoso of the age. Anyone that's attended one of BC's concerts comes away amazed at how he reinterprets studio album cuts so that they sound fresh and new. And that's why I, a dyed in the wool BC fan, am somewhat disappointed in SPEECHLESS.
Of the 15 tracks on this instrumental album, 11 are the original album performances; 3 are new, and 1 was only available previously in Japan. How I wish Bruce could have given us new renderings of the "classics" featured on SPPECHLESS. I'm not about to cast my copy of the album out the window, but think it could have been even better. Just the same, SPEECHLESS is worthy of a place on the BC fan's shelf.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliance without words, December 26, 2005

By 

Friederike Knabe (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Speechless (Audio CD)

Not many singer-songwriters can present something new with a compilation CD spanning 35 years of their artistic career. It has worked brilliantly for critically acclaimed Canadian icon, Bruce Cockburn. In particular, the collection features compositions from the early seventies that may no longer be familiar. Others are taken from various recordings made in the nineties. Three pieces are new creations recorded especially for this CD. Expertly produced by Bruce and long term friend and collaborator Colin Linden, they all sound new and fresh. Bruce is a acoustic guitar virtuoso as well as a composer expressing himself in many styles and rhythms: from blues to jazz to country and folk. The result is one hour and eight minutes of total listening pleasure.

Taking instrumental pieces from different recordings into a special collection gives them more prominence than when presented in between his usually powerful songs with lyrics. Combined together they underscore Cockburn's creative strength. They succeed in drawing the listener into a rich, diverse, melodious and expressive world where words are not needed and the mind can wander. The slow and haunting "Deep Lake" from the CD "Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu" or the new recording "The End of All Rivers" come to mind. Beautiful! Personally, I am not able to specify any favourites among the pieces. While some Cockburn fans might miss the lyrics and Bruce's distinctive voice, I am certain this CD will open his music to a wider general audience. [Friederike Knabe]