Cowboy Junkies - One Soul Now

Toronto’s Cowboy Junkies have carved out an impressive career with their narcotic brand of roots rock. Reveling in downtempo numbers, they’ve often been accused of making sad music. On the Junkies’ latest album, One Soul Now, songwriter Michael Timmins addresses the issue on the song “Notes Falling Slow.” “Partly,” says Timmins, “it comes from a lot of people saying to us that our music is depressing, when actually, it’s just slow.” Nice try, Mike, but the music actually is melancholic. Timmins’ sister, singer Margo, confirms as much when she explains that the new album’s songs deal with “death, divorce, financial worries, age, sickness and just general fatigue.” Not typically upbeat topics. But with Margo’s exquisite vocals and the tasteful musical accompaniment of Michael on guitar, brother Peter Timmins on drums and family friend Alan Anton on bass, the Junkies manage to make that material soulful and, ultimately, even uplifting. Songs like “My Wild Child,” “No Long Journey Home” and “The Slide” look at the challenges faced in modern life. And while they raise more questions than easy answers about subjects like parenthood, self-knowledge and the elusiveness of dreams, they serve as a comforting balm to anyone seeking solace in these complicated times.