Cowboy Junkies - Sing In My Meadows: The Nomad Series, Volume 3

Cowboy Junkies - Sing In My Meadows: The Nomad Series, Volume 3

2011, Razor & Tie/Latent Recordings

Canadian mellow-rock mavens the Cowboy Junkies offer up a different sound beginning on October 25, 2011, with the release of Sing In My Meadows, the third release in The Nomad Series. Going well off the beaten path of their past works, Cowboy Junkies venture into a world of low-fi, fuzzy electric blues and folk. The result is their most compelling album since The Trinity Sessions, full of the bluesy, breathy alto of Margo Timmins, minimalist arrangements and a lot of distortion. The bare bones approach to song construction allows for stark contrasts between Michael Timmins' fuzzy guitar work and sister Margo's unforgettable voice.

Breaking out with "Continental Drift", the band spends the first two minutes exploring the open spaces in the arrangement sans vocals before Margo Timmins slips in the back door with an icy, metallic vocal line that's both warm and cold at the same time. The blues influences come fully to the fore on "Sing In My Meadows", a dark and conflicted invitation that's both beautiful and disturbing at once. "Hunted" is perhaps the most wide-open song on the album, allow room for Margo Timmins to rant and wail and show a much more carnal vocal character than fans might be used to. The closer, "I Move On", sounds more like Chrissie Hynde jamming with Junkhouse than anything you might expect from Cowboy Junkies.

Sing In My Meadows has its ups and downs, but is a thoroughly compelling left turn for a band that honed its reputation on a smooth, mellow brand of anti-folk. Sing In My Meadows plays like the band's dark secret, hidden in a closet for all these years and finally let into the light. It's compelling; aboriginal and full of a dark energy that draws you in.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Cowboy Junkies at www.cowboyjunkies.com or www.myspace.com/cowboykjunkies.  Sing In My Meadows drops on October 25th, 2011 on CD.  The Vinyl edition will follow on November 15, 2011.  Digital versions will be forthcoming through Amazon.com and iTunes, but are not yet available for pre-order.

            CD                     Vinyl

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Jason Plumb & The Willing - Alive And Willing

Jason Plumb & The Willing - Alive & Willing
2011, Soccermom Records

Jason Plumb rose to prominence as songwriter and lead vocalist of Saskatchewan folk-rockers The Waltons in the early 1990's, touring with bands such as Barenaked Ladies and Junkhouse.  Darlings of the Toronto indie rock scene fueled by the then vibrant radio station CFNY, The Waltons enjoyed considerable success across Canada but never quite caught on in the US.  The Waltons were essentially done by the turn of the millennium, but Jason Plumb continued to write songs and has built a successful and highly respected body of work both on his own and with The Willing.  Early this year, Jason Plumb & The Willing released a DVD set entitled Alive & Willing, memorializing a show recorded live in Plumb's hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan, and featuring the Broken Heart Strings, an offshoot of the Regina Symphony Orchestra.

Alive & Willing finds Plumb culling material from across his career in a dynamic live set that aptly shows off his brilliance as a lyricist, composer and performer.  Relying heavily on material from his album Beauty In This World, the show also features songs from Under And Over and some highlights from his career with The Waltons.  The main concert is a real treat, but the big surprise is something called The Neighborhood Dog Episode, a bonus movie featuring a series of home concert performances and anecdotes.  The set also includes a live CD covering most of the audio from the main concert.  Highlights include “Beauty In This World”, “Drive”, “Protest Song/Colder Than You”, “The Water Well & The Farmer’s Hand”  and “Lolita”.  The latter is only on the DVD and not on the companion audio CD. 

The video and audio quality throughout the set is superb.  Jason Plumb & The Willing are everything you could ask for musically.  Plumb sings from the heart; without affectation, and his songs as accessible and timeless.  Alive & Willing is a don’t miss release.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Jason Plumb & The Willing at http://www.jasonplumb.com/ or www.myspace.com/jasonplumbandthewilling.  Alive And Willing is a limited edition release, and is available from MapleMusic.com.