Cowboy Junkies

WarrenH, like you I fell for Trinity Sessions. For another fix I got Miles From Our home. It's got some catchy tunes but it's mediocre. When I got Lay It Down I thought I'd refound the magic. It's pretty good pop but still not magical like Trinity Sessions. Then I got Open and realized good ole Margo Timmins had reached her limit as an interpreter. With a voice like hers, it's too bad she's not a songwriter. The album is crap. The spell is broken.

On Open, the Junkies seemed to be trying too hard to break away from their successful sound. To me it was change for change sake. Maybe they were fed up with their own music. The songwriting/arranging message was "hey look I'm still a rebel, just listen to this adroit deviation from our usual formula." Open truly conveys an emptiness of expression I never thought I'd get from the Junkies. And it's a shame Margo Timmins had no choice but to sing what she was fed. That one album spoiled the whole party.

"Lay It Down" is a great record.

I don't know why i still keep this Trinity Sessions LP since I listened to them for only twice.

Bought their SACD and it happened again.

As a Cowboy Junkies fan also, I think they peaked artistically in the region of Caution Horses and Black Eyed Man. It's been downhill ever since, not precipitously but steadily. The last time I saw them in concert a little over a year ago, I didn't enjoy it much. Sad but that's the way it seems to go; they run out of good ideas and then try to "expand their horizons" or whatever it is they do at that point. Still, their earlier work is exceptional. So I guess my recommendation is to just go in chronological order until you start getting disappointed, then stop. As an aside, get the album "Poet", a tribute to Townes Van Zandt that they do one song on. An excellent album in its own right.

Tireguy,you just aquired a little bit of credibility.