Speechless

Bruce Cockburn

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 27, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 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 (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,953 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
So pronounced is Bruce Cockburn's reputation as a celebrated singer-songwriter that it's easy to overlook the fact that Cockburn is also an exceptional guitarist. Speechless should change all that. A collection of previously recorded and brand new instrumental tracks, the album puts the spotlight squarely on Cockburn's brilliant acoustic guitar playing. Despite its absence of words, Speechless is highly expressive. Ranging from some of his earliest numbers to three recent compositions, the album showcases the breadth of Cockburn's eclectic guitar style. There's a strong cinematic quality to much of the album, whether it's in pieces from the 1970s like the haunting "Islands in a Black Sky" and the cascading "Water into Wine," or else in 1990s instrumentals such as the emotional "When It's Gone It's Gone" and the ambient "Mistress of Storms."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 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 (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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

11 of 11 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 (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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]

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT TITLE FOR HOW HIS TECHNIQUE WILL LEAVE YOU, September 27, 2005

By	o dubhthaigh (north rustico, pei, canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Anyone who has paid the least bit of attention to Cockburn knows that he is a formidable guitarist. A graduate of Berklee along with Pat Metheny, and clearly influenced by the immortal Mississippi John Hurt, Cockburn has sprinkled his CDs with instrumental tracks of wonder through out his career. Some of the very best of those are collected here along with three newer efforts that will leave you stunned and smiling. You'd handily sell your soul to any divination to play half this well.
There really is no other message to this. This is just fantatstic guiatr playing, soulful, joyful, intricate, simple. Like Teilhard de Chardin, Cockburn seeks to hold both ends of the string. He does so with a sense of wonder. Prepare your sensibilities to become spellbound!