Cowboy Junkies
One Soul Now
(Zoe)
The 10th album from Canada's pioneers of alt-country is unlikely to woo new fans, but it will reassure the rest of us. Have you ever heard anyone describe themselves as a Cowboy Junkies devotee? It's more common to see punters take mild interest in the band's latest effort, in case they've reproduced their fantastic 1988 album, Trinity Sessions - recorded in one day around a single mike in the superb acoustics of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto.
The Junkies deserve credit for sustaining a career of almost 20 years without being overwhelmed by that one release. They've stayed with the dark, smooth writing, playing and production of Michael Timmins and the doleful singing of his sister, Margo. Her country-soul now has an ageing, bluesy grace but can still leave you guessing whether she's singing of love or homicide. At first listen, One Soul Now has a lighter touch than the grim image most listeners have of the band. But keep it playing and the old gloominess rises. The combination makes this an album that should be played from start to finish. It's the soundtrack for a quiet night in a typhoon.
Buy early for the bonus disc with covers of Thunder Road, Seventeen Seconds, Lungs, Helpless and Darkness, Darkness.