Well, this ain't your normal Cowboy Junkies album, not by a long
shot. Instead it's a rock musical piece, created by the group along
with a grand hosts of pals, about the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Huh? Well, the 50th anniversary is coming up Nov. 22, and
composer/lyricist Scott Garbe had the bright idea. Michael Timmins of
the Junkies jumped on board to produce, along with Andy Maize and Josh
Finlayson of The Skydiggers. Then they assembled the large crew,
arranged it all and have themselves a tight little collection.
First off, Junkies junkies, this rocks a lot more than their usual
albums, thanks to guests such as Jason Collett, Harlan Pepper, Lee
Harvey Osmond (type casting) and ex-Rheostatics Martin Tielli and Dave
Clark. Considering the subject matter, it's quite a bouncy disc at
times, which reflects the interesting take on JFK murder. All the
various plots and schemes of the times are brought into the lyrics, from
Castro and Cuba to what Jack Ruby was thinking. Mostly, it looks at
the event from different and sometimes unexpected angles. There are
three sisters who come to Dallas to get a glimpse of Kennedy, the local
cop who was driving in the car when the bullets flew, Osmond himself
when he does the deed, and even the President is given a voice, after
the killing as he's about to be buried.It's not a strict narrative, but rather slices and imaginations, which actually works better for the songs. If anything, it feels more like a Skydiggers album, and that's a fine thing, too. There isn't a dull song on it, it's highly listenable, certainly intriguing. When Margo Timmins finally appears, it's a jazzy, spooky, slow number as Jackie Kennedy contemplates it all. Lyrics are included, it's fun to read along, and like all good theatre, it makes you see things differently.
No comments:
Post a Comment