Cowboy Junkies
At the End of Paths Taken
(Latent)
Just when you thought the Cowboy Junkies had started resting on its laurels, the band put out a stellar album of protest songs and covers in 2005—the political Early 21st Century Blues—that broke free of all expectation. And now it follows up with At the End of Paths Taken, which flows gracefully through dark pastures and sombre waters of complex family dynamics and strained relationships. While some may argue that the band is just repeating itself, that fails to take into account the subtleties the Junkies explore here. The band may still rarely get above mid-tempo laments, but both lyrically and in the arrangements, it continues to grow stronger.
Dave Hayden
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
