Cowboy Junkies
Black Eyed Man (1992)

review by: Glenn Pfeifer
Date: 3/2/01

"Sad songs say so much." Not sure if one of my heroes, Bernie Taupin, penned that or not, but no truer words may ever have been spoken in such a sappy pop tune. Emotionally affecting music seems to script the most important passages of your memories. You always seem to remember what songs get you through bad times, what songs ring true when you're in your own personal woe. While I can't explain or place the origins of my compulsion for haunting tales of despondency, I know the Cowboy Junkies may do it better than anyone.

"Black eyed man" is probably the Junkies most hopeful CD. Their painfully sparse sound of earlier discs is traded for a fuller, warmer backdrop here. And subsequent later discs reveal a harder, electric edge to their music that hasn't been realized yet on this collection, released in 1992. What communicates through on "black eyed man" is all the glorious influences of the band's extremely talented songwriter, Michael Timmons. A heavy dose of middle-America, with its blues, country and folk - sprinkled with light hints of Dixie-inspired arrangements - that all seem to float effortlessly around his sister's sedating tone.

That being said, the tunes are still quite dour - lost love, lost community, lost ambition - you're getting the picture. Perhaps it's only Margo Timmons' smooth, composed reassurance that keeps the listener from sliding into the doldrums with Michael's outlook on life.

If you're brave (or you just relate to melancholy like I do) and you enjoy the Junkies style, try Lay it Down or the Trinity Sessions. But by all means start with "black eyed man." This writer can't be held responsible for the consequences this band may bring to those in emotional turmoil. Enjoy. -gp fife