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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Rewarded Listening, January 14, 2005
This album is a difficult one that has taken me well over a year to get into. The excursions into world beat that were present on Cockburn's last album, "Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu", are here thrown into overdrive and one is left with a very world-oriented folk album. It is a rather left-of-center departure given his work over the last decade and its unexpectedness is likely to leave more than one listener scratching her/his head wondering what exactly Cockburn is doing.
It isn't just world beat that Cockburn uses in considerable doses on this album; jazz-esque dissonance shows up on songs such as "Trickle Down" and "Don't Forget About Delight". The latter has just enough dissonance to be memorable and even hummable; the stripped-down-jam feel of "Trickle Down", however, suffers from a lack of melody. Cockburn seems to have spent far more time working on the music itself on this album and less time on his own vocal instrumentation; the musicianship is absolutely stellar, but a bit more singing than spoken word would have been appreciated by this listener. Nonetheless, songs such as "Open" and "Put it in Your Heart" are genuinely refreshing folk-rock songs, while "Celestial Horses" and "Messenger Wind" show Cockburn in a more traditional, stripped-back role.
Cockburn remains a master of the poetic. He is certainly one of the greatest poet-lyricists alive today, inhabiting a sphere entirely his own. The lyrics on this album are just as stunning as any of his prior releases and are worth reading in addition to listening to just for the sake of taking all of Cockburn in. Cockburn is well-known for his own socio-political commentary, as well as for the role that a rather left-wing Christianity takes in informing Cockburn's worldview. It also seems that he has been spending a bit of time studying Sufism, given the liner notes (by no means a bad thing!); the influence of both of these pervade the lyrics.
Cockburn's albums tend to be rather thick - perhaps "dense" is a better word - and this album is no exception. Yet, it seems to be far more tightly wound than any of his more recent work. To get into the core - the kernel - of it one must listen to it repeatedly; only upon repeated listens do the musical and lyrical subtleties begin to emerge. It is a truly rich kernel, though; the meat of this album takes time to get to but to finally reach that point is sweet. Let Cockburn take you there.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bruce's White Album, June 13, 2003
Bruce Cockburn's latest album not only grabs you immediately with his intense lyrics, but with the amazingly diverse musical styles. It's as if he put his hand in a musical grab bag and pulled out all of the stops. You've never heard everything, until you've heard this album. For those who have grown to expect incendiary and world weary lyrics from Bruce, you will certainly get enough of that here. But, the musical soundscape that the lyrics are laid upon, is amazing. I hear references to almost all of Bruce's musical catalogue and more so in these tunes.
When I heard Bruce play the majority of these songs live and solo, I was not impressed. But, the album carries these songs much better in the context of a musical ensemble. Rather than taking the usual lead with his intricate guitar work, he sets each song to rhythms which are colored by the diverse musicians on this album. Lovely violin work by Hugh Marsh and sweet harmonica by Gregoire Maret offset the melodies of Bruce's words. The percussion and drumming by Stephen Hodge and Ben Riley respectively, is some of the best you will hear on any album.
"Tried and Tested" is a great song to lead off the album. Bruce has always leaned towards an organic and acoustic sound for the majority of his work, but the first instrument we hear is a synthesized drum track loop. This only serves to support the hazy drug-like drone of the swirling guitar riffs in classic electric Cockburn style. This track could easily have been from his last project, "Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu (1999)". There are many lyrical references to past Cockburn songs ranging from "In the Falling Dark", to "Somebody Touched Me".
"Open" is definitely the obvious choice for a single. I was reminded of the delicate guitar work from "Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws (1979)". It seems a rumination on the mysteries of love and chance.
"All Our Dark Tomorrows" is a direct follow up to "Feast of Fools" from "Further Adventures Of (1978)". There is a deep and slow burning anger at the injustices being done by those in power. The future is clouded with uncertainty, but as Bruce sees it, could be preventable if only we would open our eyes.
"Trickle Down" shows the jazz influence of co-writer and pianist Andy Milne. It has the overall feel of the classic, "Night Vision (1973)" album. An extremely jazzy piece that borders on improvisation, this is one of the few songs that leaves you feeling happier than it should.
"Everywhere Dance". Wow! What can I say? This sounds like it was written for the "Salt, Sun & Time (1974)" album. For those acoustic guitar players out there, this is one to listen to. Amazing guitar work and uplifting, spiritual lyrics. Life is a dance, and we can't help but be drawn into to it, if we have any life in us at all.
"Put it in Your Heart" is the dark B-side to "Last Night of the World". Of course, the subject matter is way too big for anyone to lyrically do justice to. But, in the few words he's crafted, Bruce is able to put a human response that sees much more of the bigger picture than most of us are capable of. "A soul that's turned it's back on love", indeed. We are all still part of the human family in spite of what we do to each other.
"Postcards From Cambodia" is an apt title for this spoken word piece. This is the kind of thing we're come to expect from Bruce, but the music, and in particular, the arrangement, sweeps the listener into more than just storytelling. It becomes a resonant mantra for the whole tragedy of what has happened to the Cambodian people.
"Wait No More" is a great surprise! The rhythm of "Stolen Land", with the sentiment of "Pacing the Cage". This is a wonderful blues tune, that could end up becoming a standard for any musicians with ears to hear the possibilities.
"Celestial Horses" is a song that dates back to 1978. It's easy to see the shift in perspective in the lyrics, but the music seems to fit from the "Dart to the Heart (1994)" period. Almost a lazy country song, it feels like a warm Summer's night.
"You've Never Seen Everything". This is Bruce's "Revolution 9". A soundscape of looped instruments and jarring guitar chords, all set to lyrics of such horror that you find the images staying with you for days afterward. This is not a track that can be listened to a few times and dismissed as an experiment. Because, once you grow accustomed to the bizarre musical soundscape, the power of the lyrics crystallizes the sense of impotent and stunned emotions that Bruce is dealing with. The way he phrases the word, "pitchfork" almost sounds like his voice is breaking in emotion because of the mind numbing horror of it all. Thank God this is followed up by...
"Don't Forget About Delight". I am reminded of the album, "Joy Will Find a Way (1975)". And in fact, they express much the same sentiment. This song is a humane and human response to the injustices Bruce sees in the world around him. It is also a reminder of what we often forget, "Anger drips and pools and then it passes".
"Messenger Wind" is the kind of a song that seems to hearken back to the days of "High Winds White Sky (1971)". So simple in it's structure and beautiful in melody, it is a folk song in the truest sense. We can almost imagine ourselves with Bruce "In front of the house where I'm supposed to be born". And the symbol of the wind is of course, the spirit of God. It is in the spiritual that Bruce finds the answers of all of the questions he has put forth in this album. In spite of the darkness around us, the human quality which rises to the surface is hope. A fitting end to an rollercoaster musical and emotional experience.
*****
Five out of Five Stars...
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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another Solid Effort, June 10, 2003
Bruce Cockburn has never been a pop artist or one that demands public attention. But, unfortunately he should be. Cockburn sings his conscious and brings to light those things that people would rather be kept dark. You would think the way people love watching reality shows that Cockburn would be more popular. Cockburn melds excellent folk/rock guitar with reggae, rock, jazz or world beat rhythms in order to make his real life observances more palatable. Whether singing of distant far off lands of brutal regimes "You've Never Seen Everything" and "Postcards from Cambodia" or one's closer to home "Trickle Down" the man sees the truth we should all see but either are ignorant of, or worse elect to ignore. I guess some would enjoy his rough Audio paintings but can't complete the circle when he tries to make sense of it all and provide the answers in "Wait no More" or "Celestial Horses". I have never heard anyone sing of love so honestly or earnestly. So many people look for answers in the wrong places, Cockburn leads us into the dark but at least has the decency of showing us where the light switch is. Another fine effort from this eclectic artist which ranks up among his best work. As a Cockburn fan this is a must...As a person just starting their journey of enlightenment you might be better served with starting with Breakfast in New Orleans and working their way back in his catalog before appreciating this tapestry of beauty.
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~ Bruce Cockburn
~ Bruce Cockburn
~ Bruce Cockburn
~ Bruce Cockburn
~ Bruce Cockburn
by Bruce Cockburn 
