 Cowboy Junkies Lay it Down came out to virtually no fanfare in '96, and whenever it's referred to it's usually tagged as Cowboy Junkies' "rock" album due to the presence of a good deal more electric guitar than the band usually employs. Personally, I'd peg it as one of the band's best albums, not quite on the level of Black Eyed Man, but alongside The Trinity Session for silver medal honors. As usual, Michael Timmins's bleak and poignant songwritiing is given deeply emotional expression by his sister Margo, whose voice is instantly recognizable as a goddamn gift from God. Forget the rainbow, I'll take Margo Timmins's voice anyday, Lord. All blasphemy aside, the songs on this album are catchy and affecting, though there are more than a couple that kinda just sit there. It's probably a couple tracks too long, but it's a rewarding album nonetheless. The Junkies' brand of country-flavored rock can be amazing or kinda boring, but this one maintains a great dark mood throughout, thanks to some of Michael's best and most depressing lyrics yet. Sure, the Cowboy Junkies are a one-trick pony, but it's a good goddamn trick. A few of the tracks are among the group's best: "Something More Besides You," "Come Calling," "Bea's Song," "Musical Key," "Angel Mine" – these cover a wide range of emotions, most of those emotions reflecting desperation of one sort or another. "Come Calling" is presented in two versions, parenthetically titled "His song" and "Her song," the former being more of a full-on pop song, the latter being more of a dirge, but both with the same lyrics (switched for gender). That's a bold move on a single album, but if I had to pick a couple tracks to trim, I would retain both versions of that song. A few of the tracks just don't differentiate themselves that much – let's face it, the Junkies' style is fairly limited – but the high points are really, really good. The blend of the band's controlled angst and the singer's brilliant melancholy makes for some pretty affecting music. As to the rock edge, it's convincing and not that much of a leap from their normal sound – they've discovered distortion, but it's just another way to dress up the songs. There's also a pretty extensive use of strings on the record, which makes songs like the bleak "Musical Key" a great deal more weighty. There is a certain coldness to the record that I attribute to it being a major-label release – it doesn't sound like the band was having a good time making it, and it sounds a bit like maybe the record company was trying to reinvent the band's sound, with a bit overly-studied results. However it came about, Lay it Down still captures the band in a very creative period – it's an album that deserves more attention than it got. I don't listen to it very frequently, but I'm always pleasantly surprised when I do.
Review by Wimpsome Tuhrl |