The definition of a rebel is someone who goes against the grain.  For close to thirty years now, Blue Rodeo has taken the road less traveled - and succeeded far beyond anyone’s expectations.  The band emerged in the early 80’s as a countrified rock band in the era of hair metal and glossy pop.  Despite sticking out like a sore thumb (or maybe because of it), their single “Try” became omni-present on radio across Canada and set in motion a three decade long career of headlining every club, theatre and arena in Canada.  In 1993, when grunge rock was squeezing commercial rock off the radio, they recorded their most acoustic album, Five Days In July, and scored their biggest hit selling over a half million copies of that one record alone.  And now, in the digital age, while everyone else is thinking of ways to sell single songs through the internet or snippets of songs on cell phones, Blue Rodeo has recorded The Things We Left Behind, a double album designed to be enjoyed on vinyl.  Twelve albums on, the rebels live.

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Biography

BLUE RODEO
THE THINGS WE LEFT BEHIND

The definition of a rebel is someone who goes against the grain.  Damn the torpedoes!  Full speed ahead!  For close to thirty years now, Blue Rodeo has taken the road less traveled - and succeeded far beyond anyone’s expectations.  The band emerged in the early 80’s as a countrified rock band in the era of hair metal and glossy pop.  Despite sticking out like a sore thumb (or maybe because of it), their single “Try” became omni-present on radio across Canada and set in motion a three decade long career of headlining every club, theatre and arena in Canada.  In 1993, when grunge rock was squeezing commercial rock off the radio, they recorded their quietest album, Five Days In July, and scored their biggest hit selling over a half million copies of that one record alone.  And now, in the digital age, while everyone else is think of ways to sell single songs through the internet or snippets of songs on cell phones, Blue Rodeo has recorded a double album designed specifically to be enjoyed on vinyl.  The Things We Left Behind is the real deal.  Double gate-fold sleeve, 12 x 12 cover and two albums, four distinct sides programmed to take the listener on a trip.

“I’m becoming more of a vinyl-phile and more and more is becoming available all of the time, which is great,” enthuses singer-guitarist Jim Cuddy.  “How to split it up – is a B-side heavier, or more sleepy, or whatever – is a very enjoyable little conundrum for us to try to figure out.”

Indeed it is a vast landscape of sixteen new songs written by Cuddy and his songwriting partner Greg Keelor that needs to be arranged and yet it wasn’t as difficult to put together as one might think.

“With something of this size there aren’t as many options, maybe because there is so much of it,” says Keelor.  “You know, there are some obvious connections between songs that work together.  It sort of panned out a little easier.”  

“We had a sequence done in about a day and a half which for us, honestly, is miraculous,” continues Cuddy. “We could make a record, and spend 6 months making it and not have one single argument and then we could fight about the sequence for the rest of our lives. I think we had a sequence that was almost right and we were prepared to go with it. Initially we had put the most dramatic song, the title track, on the record second.  Once we switched it and made it the first song, then everything worked.”

With dramatic tympanis leading the melody, the title track certainly opens the door to the trip that lays ahead for the listener. “All The Things That Are Left Behind” was a very difficult song,” remembers Cuddy.  “When Greg brought it in he played piano, which he does not play and he was plucking out this melody and singing it, it was in such a rough form.”

“It was the first song I’d ever written on piano,” say Keelor.  “We knew that we wanted to fill it out so we sampled some tympanis, tuned them to the track, did a lot of eqing and made them nice and muffled and put those on.  Jim added a piano part just hitting the chord on the down beat.  We got a mellotron and added cello.  Then we used the mellotron flute and built it up from there.  So it was a pretty bare bones track when it started and those are often my faves – the ones that sound ‘well, that’ll be lucky if it gets on the record’ – and then it blooms into this orchestrated little number.”

So, if that once rough but now rich dramatic song opens the album, what else does the band have up its collective sleeve? “It’s not like we’re going for a skate and just singing a whole pile of Blue Rodeo songs,” boasts Keelor wryly.  “There’re a few curve balls on this record.”

There isn’t a longtime fan of Blue Rodeo that would be surprised by Keelor’s statement.  After all, the band’s longevity didn’t come from repeating itself over and over.  It makes one wonder though, twelve albums on, how deep is the well and how dare they record a double album at this point in their career.

When Jim and Greg sat down in April of 2009 and started playing the music they had each written, it became evident pretty quickly that they’d be making more than a single album.  Blue Rodeo had made longish albums before but the band had grown bored of the format and wanted to use this as an opportunity to do something that was a throwback to the record listening experience they had in their formative years.  

“We wanted to make a CD that represented the flip of a record,” says Greg.

“Whatever that esthetic was imprinted itself in our minds in the 60s and 70s and is still there,” agrees Cuddy,

Whatever that esthetic is also runs through the music. Whether it’s a tip of the hat to Jackson Browne on “Candice,” the Beggars Banquet-like romp in “Sheba” or a nod and a wink to Fairport Convention and The Who on the epic “Million Miles,” Blue Rodeo has never been afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves.  Greg readily admits that his rocker “Never Look Back” sounds like it could be an Everly Brothers song when played slower on acoustic guitar.  “I think I even stole a line – ‘Oh baby, I wanted you so bad,’” sings Keelor.  “I think that’s an Everly Brothers line somewhere so start the lawsuits.”

To hear one of Canada’s most influential bands talk about their own influences is certainly a revelation of sorts.  Cuddy and Keelor are renowned as a formidable songwriting team though each approaches the craft differently.  Cuddy is the classic story-teller allowing the experiences in his life to take form in a series of characters inhabiting his songs.  Keelor, on the other hand is the tortured artist who uses music to explore the depths of love and pain and then paint pastoral pictures.  

The dichotomy of their styles is most evident in comparing the tone of Cuddy’s “One Light Left In Heaven” and Keelor’s “Venus Rising.”  Unbeknownst to one another, both men wrote songs about the relationship of a couple they both know.

“Mine was from the left behind,” says Jim about “One Light Left In Heaven,”  “It was specifically about being in a plane having left this world (that situation) and not wanting to arrive because the situation is going to rear its ugly head again.”

“I guess it’s a little bit about how hard it is to be in relationships when you’re on the road,” says Greg simply when talking about “Venus Rising.”

Of course what the record would be, how it would flow and what moods it would convey were all taken into consideration during the recording process.  One thought was to make a daytime record that you listen to in the car and a night time record of the longer jammier songs.  Ultimately, the record turned into one cohesive double album winding its way through plaintive ballads, full out honky-tonk stompers and psychedelic jams. And having two records and four sides on which to program the music, gave the band even more freedom to distinguish each song as a unique entity either through instrumentation or style or recording process.

In their twenty-five year career, Blue Rodeo has sold over 4 million records, won an unprecedented 5 Juno awards as Group of the Year, been handed keys to the City of Toronto and been inducted onto Canada’s Walk of Fame.  But for them, the accolades and awards pale in comparison to the good fortune of being musicians.  

“I think that’s the testament – to really do it for a living,” says Cuddy reflecting on all that has happened to the band. “Not just live the life of a popular band but to actually do music for a living.”

Twelve albums on, the rebels live.

Press

Purple State of Mind.com - 2010-06-09

BLUE RODEO, South of Home
by PETER BLACKSTOCK

First, a confession: Deep down, there’s something about me that I’ve probably known for quite some time, something that has become increasingly impossible to deny as the years have passed. There’s really no sense in fighting it anymore.

I am a closet Canadian.

Raised in Texas, granted. (Although born, fittingly enough, in Rochester, New York, just across Lake Ontario from Toronto.) The United States is home, always has been; in fact, I’ve been to all 50 states, and have lived in five of them. I love our nation’s ideals, our landscape, our horizons, our heritage, our hope.

But, man, I gotta say, every time I’ve been to Canada, I just marvel at what a good thing they have going up there. I’m sure I’m romanticizing to some extent — Canada undoubtedly has its troubles and its downsides, like any country on Earth — but there is a peacefulness in the north country, and the wide-open spaces are plentiful, and the citizens are predominantly polite, and they value the arts, and their health, and they aren’t so vastly beholden to material greed over human welfare. There is much to love about our neighbor land.

Damn good music, too. You know about Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell, and Leonard Cohen, and Cowboy Junkies, and The Band. (And we’ll forgive them for Celine Dion.) You probably don’t know about Stan Rogers, and Huevos Rancheros, and the Skydiggers, and Geoff Berner, and the Lost Dakotas. A shame, that, but no one gets to hear everybody (I’m sure I’ve missed a lot, too).

Chances are pretty fair that you know at least something about Blue Rodeo. The phrase which has forever been quoted about them, ever since it appeared in a Rolling Stone review more than two decades ago, is: “The best new American band may very well be Canadian.” That was back when they WERE new, in the late ’80s; nowadays, they’ve got more than a dozen albums to their name, along with a bookcase full of Junos (”the Canadian Grammy,” as the shorthand goes). In their homeland, they play large theaters, arenas, big festivals.

And, once in awhile, they dip down south and visit the States. They’re in the midst of one of those runs right now, to support The Things We Left Behind, a double-disc release that holds up rather well with their best work. Monday night, they played in my neck of the woods, at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, North Carolina, to a couple hundred folks — a fair percentage of them displaced Canadians (you can tell, as they’re the ones who know most of the songs by heart), supplemented by a smattering of Americans who’ve managed to come across the band one way or other during the past 20 years.

Blue Rodeo is a really easy band to like. If you’re a fan of the Jayhawks, certainly, or probably even simply if you like Tom Petty or John Mellencamp or Bruce Springsteen, there’s a strong chance you would appreciate these guys. That old Rolling Stone quote was meant to underscore the quintessentially “American” nature of their music; North American, perhaps, but this is populist rock ‘n’ roll with a rootsy perspective, a healthy dose of country harmonies, and bluesy grooves permeating the narrative.
As with a lot of classic American bands, the essence revolves around a yin-yang partnership, in their case the congenial and sweet-voiced Jim Cuddy, and the more ruminative and rougher-edged Greg Keelor (That’s an oversimplification, of both of them really, but you get the point). Their longtime crew is no small part of the story: bassist Bazil Donovan has been there since mid-’80s the beginning, drummer Glenn Milchem joined in the early ’90s, and pedal steel guitarist Bob Egan (who spent the late ’90s in Wilco) is now a ten-year Blue Rodeo veteran.

But wait, there’s more. The latest in a line of keyboardists who have contributed significantly to the band’s sound over the years is Mike Boguski, who also sat in for several songs on this night with the excellent young opening act, Cuff The Duke (whose new album was produced by Keelor). Wayne Petti, the frontman for Cuff The Duke, returned the favor by joining Blue Rodeo onstage for about half of their songs, adding acoustic guitar accents and fine vocal harmonies. The real ringer, though, was Anne Lindsay, a firebrand of a fiddle player and superb supporting vocalist who helped take several songs to a whole ‘nother level during the night.
And so, on a sleepy Monday in a small venue on the edges of Chapel Hill, a band that routinely plays to thousands in its native Canada played a generous selection of their best material to a couple hundred fortunate folks, with a stage lineup ranging from six to eight musicians. Really, really good musicians. For a remarkably reasonable ticket price of 17 bucks.

For the Canadian transplants in the crowd, most of them accustomed to seeing the band at much larger venues, such a gig is probably dreamlike. For the band, well, maybe it’s not so great having to acknowledge that their top-tier success in Canada has never translated to the United States at anywhere near the same scale.

Then again, there is an element of this reality that is in fact quite a gift. Not many bands who reach large-venue status can still avail themselves of the opportunity to also play small clubs from time to time when they want to. Sure, you make a lot more money playing theaters and arenas and sheds … but just about any musician I’ve come across who’s worth a salt will allow that there’s nothing more fun than playing an intimate club gig. To have an outlet for reconnecting with such a fundamental musical experience, all the while knowing that the larger audiences are there for you back home, is in many ways a perfect balance.


Which is not to say Blue Rodeo wouldn’t love for a lot more Americans to hear their music. But if that doesn’t happen, well, hey, from the looks of things on this fair summer evening in the heart of Carolina, they’re gonna be just fine playing from their hearts for whoever’s fortunate enough to be out there in the crowd.

And for those of us who can’t be in Canada, our appreciation knows no bounds.

Peter Blackstock was co-founder and co-editor of No Depression magazine from 1995-2008, worked many years as a copy editor for daily newspapers in Seattle and Austin, and served as archivist for the SXSW music festival from 1989-1997. He blogs occasionally at That Magnificent Ghost.

Blue Rodeo is virtually an institution in Canada. Not quite up there with Mounties and maple syrup, perhaps, but sometimes it seems they’ve been around almost as long …

In truth, it’s been almost 30 years since the band formed in Toronto in the early eighties. They’ve had hits over the years, of course, and received their fair share of domestic airplay. But they’ve never really been a hit-oriented band, preferring instead to craft thoughtful, mature music that melds country and pop with a distinctly Canadian flavor to it all.

Craft is the operative word, and despite the occasionally sprawling nature of The Things We Left Behind, a double-disc set marking their 13th release (not counting solo outings and a greatest hits collection), the package as a whole is surprisingly intimate. Tunesmiths Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor have always been prone to taking their time, but this outing absolutely shimmers with the loving care invested in every song.

What’s also striking about the set is how apparent the band’s influences are, how loosely they’re worn on the sleeve. The harmonies on “Don’t Let The Darkness In Your Head” are distinctly Beatlesque, while “Arizona Dust,” with its interweaving of electric and acoustic guitars and dusty vocals, sounds like it could have been lifted from one of the Eagles’ earlier albums, though the lyrical touchpoints are distinctly Canadian. There are echoes of the Byrds in the chiming guitars and charging harmonies of “Never Look Back,” and moments in “Wasted” that recall The Who in their poppier moments.

Still, as befits the title, the band might be celebrating the past, but they’re not dwelling on it; influences may be obvious, but everything’s blended into a distinctive and thoroughly contemporary sound that could only be Blue Rodeo’s. Both Keelor and Cuddy are superb vocalists, and their alternating leads lend variety to proceedings. The rockers have the requisite drive, and the melodic ballads have an exquisitely aching tenderness. And there’s a thoughtful maturity to the writing, as Cuddy and Keelor both seem to be taking stock, reflecting on the passage of time and the state of the heart with penetrating but poetic insight.

An absolutely stellar outing, this is unquestionably the strongest statement yet from a band that continues to set new standards with each release.

Highly recommended!

BLUE RODEO The Things We Left Behind (Telesoul)

This album, Canadian band Blue Rodeo’s 12th, is a testimony to the creative staying power of this extraordionary country-rock outfit. A double CD set consisting of 16 tracks, The Things We Left Behind is a lesson in how to deliver a first-rate country-rock album in this day and age.

In fact, in the absence of the now-defunct Jayhawks, Blue Rodeo is probably the alt-country standard bearer with its astute (and consistent) development of country-folk tunes matched with pop-rock dynamics.

On songs like the excellent Waiting For the World, Sheba, Arizona, In My Bones, the fragile soulfulness of the best country-folk shines through as acoustic guitars, pedal steels and violins pluck at your heartstrings. Whereas from the pop-rock perspective, wonderful songs like Never Look Back, the title track, Don’t Let the Darkness In Your Head and Wasted deliver all the right chops and hooks.

Yes, folks, this one is a definite keeper!

REVIEW:

Blue Rodeo still an incredible act
 
By KEVIN BLEVINS, Leader-Post (Regina, SK)

January 18, 2010

Blue Rodeo played the Conexus Arts Centre in Regina on Saturday, January 16, 2010.

Blue Rodeo -- legends of Canadian music -- calmly walked onto the Conexus Arts Centre stage Saturday night, plugged in their instruments with understated confidence, and never looked back.

The Toronto six-piece, complimented on this night with a violinist and cellist, began at 8:45 p.m. and didn't say so long until 10:55 p.m. During the 130 minutes in between, one of Canada's best and most consistent music groups mixed new gems and old favourites with incredible ease. Opening with "Never Look Back" and "One More Night" from the new double album, The Things That We Left Behind, Blue Rodeo made its intent known early: Yes, we'll play many of the hits you know, but we'll also play a lot of our new work as well.

And so it was, for the capacity crowd in Regina's sweetest sounding concert hall, an up and down -- goofy happy and gently sad -- joyride through Blue Rodeo's expansive 23-year catalogue of rock/country/folk. Fun upbeat country-twang rockers, counterbalanced by beautiful symphonic ballads with some humour thrown in just for laughs.

Introducing "All The Things That Are Left Behind", co-frontman guitiarist/singer Greg Keelor noted the Saskatchewan Roughriders, heartbreaking, last-second loss in November's Grey Cup, where Blue Rodeo provided the half-time entertainment.

"I'd like to dedicate this song to the Roughriders, because they sort of left something behind," he said.

"Way to win over the crowd," co-frontman, guitarist/singer Jim Cuddy quickly added, later in the set apologizing for the Rider crack by saying, "I cheer for the (Toronto Maple) Leafs and we never win anything, so how would you like that?"

What the crowd seemed to like was anything the band played Saturday night, fast or slow, old or new.
The best example of Blue Rodeo's eclectic song list came early in the set, when Cuddy, Keelor and company went back to 1997's Tremolo to play "It Could Happen To You", then jumped ahead to the brand-new sad but wonderful ballad "One Light Left in Heaven" then dug deep again, this time all the way back to 1987's debut CD Outskirts to play the still incredibly optimistic "Rose-Coloured Glasses".
Somehow, someway this odd triumvirate of songs worked; not one of them sounding out of place with the other.

Maybe it all works because the men of Blue Rodeo are incredible players live, always have been, and their talents are best executed in an acoustically perfect venue like the Conexus Arts Centre (Regina needs more concerts in the Centre, but I digress). Never too loud and always crystal clear, the only thing off with the audio mix Saturday night was that the steel guitar often overwhelmed the violin and cello.

Cuddy's voice is an amazing instrument in and of itself, so strong and clear with wonderful pitch. Keelor's deeper baritone, gritty with a touch of nasal, is no worse, just different. Together, the two-part harmonies these men accomplish are a thing of beauty, a great example of opposites attract.
Also fantastic, but not nearly as well known or understood, is the outstanding bass work of Bazil Donovon. In the pocket literally -- he never moves from his spot to the right of the drum kit -- and figuratively each and every night, Donavon's fingers dance across the bass with the best of them. On songs like "Diamond Mine", he anchors Blue Rodeo's huge mosaic of melodies, never overwhelming but always giving strength to a piano/organ, three guitars and the aforementioned voices of Cuddy and Keelor.

Near the end of the set, Keelor allowed the crowd into the act as well, signalling the fans to sing the first verse and chorus of longtime favourite, "Hasn't Hit Me Yet". In some venues, it would be a contrived stage gag, but in a Cathedral like the Centre, 1,500-plus voices in unison is a thing of beauty.

The night ended with a final singalong, with opening act Cuff the Duke joining Blue Rodeo for a joyous finale. All 13 people on stage delivered a rousing version of 1992's "Lost Together," which, according to iTunes, is Blue Rodeo's most popular song ever.

A gem from a music box full of jewels. A brilliant way to end a brilliant night by one of Canada's most brilliant bands ever.

Blue Rodeo
Jubilee Auditorium
Thursday night

EDMONTON — Would it be considered gauche to refer to Blue Rodeo as a warm sonic blanket?

Would Blue Rodeo itself cringe at being described as such? Too bad, because that’s essentially how the band’s music felt on a cold January night, with 2,300 fans packed into the Jubilee for the first of two concerts in town.
Warm and cosy, with piano and acoustic balladry, Crazy Horse stompers and uptempo country numbers spread through a near two hour set. It’s a testament to Blue Rodeo’s popularity that a set heavy on selections from their newest album, The Things We Left Behind, went over as well as it did. Where most bands would lean on their hits, Blue Rodeo just assumed that their newer songs would go over with the fans; and they did. Gorgeously arranged tracks like Don’t Let the Darkness in Your Head and Candice, bolstered by the addition of cello and violin, sounded like instant classics.

The fans did get to hear a few of their favourites, though, with the epic 5 Days in May being a particular standout. They’ve worked it into a frenzy both as a band and in Jim Cuddy’s solo projects, but Thursday night was a highlight, the song dwindling down to Greg Keelor reeling out soft lead lines while drummer Glenn Milchem dropped sticks and went straight to his hands.

It may be a standard Can rock radio number by this point, but Blue Rodeo still crank it for all it’s worth.

CALGARY SUN

Blue Rodeo thrills sold-out Jubilee
By LISA WILTON - Calgary Sun

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Blue Rodeo has been doing its thing for 25 years now.

And while you think they would find the constant cycle of recording and touring a chore after so long, the finely tuned band never showed any signs of slowing down during last night’s fantastic sold-out show at the Jubilee Auditorium.

The crowd of 2,400 listened intently as the Ontario band played an entertaining mix of classic hits, fan favourites and new songs from its illustrious career. Blue Rodeo is on tour in support of its latest CD, The Things We Left Behind, an ambitious double album of psychedelic roots-rock.

Kicking off with a newer single, Never Looked Back, the group sounded tight and in control from the get-go.

Cuddy and co-songwriter Greg Keelor tag-teamed vocal duties throughout the night, while bassist Bazil Donovan, multi-instrumentalist Bob Egan and drummer Glenn Milchem played not only with proficiency, but also warmth and character.

For me, Blue Rodeo’s appeal has largely been the dusty harmonies created when Keelor and Cuddy sing together. And there were some exceptionally lovely vocal moments last night, particularly during renditions of Head Over Heels, Til I Am Myself Again and Five Days in May.

Both Cuddy and Keelor have a charming presence on stage and seem truly appreciative of the fans who filled the venue.

And the fans were even more enamoured with the Blue Rodeo.

When Cuddy took the mic for One More Night, and crooned ‘I would love to take the place of that man for just one night,’ you could just about hear half of the women in the audience say, ‘Yes, please.’

Cuff the Duke singer Wayne Petti joined the band onstage, adding his sweet-toned vocals to the harmonious mix.

His group did a fine job supporting Blue Rodeo with their melodic, earthy pop-rock.

Blue Rodeo and Cuff the Duke perform again tonight at the Jubilee.

Blue Rodeo - The Things We Left Behind

Reviews - January 3, 2010 12:55 AM
Written By: CW Ross
 
The band Blue Rodeo got their start way back in 1984 in Toronto, Canada. The band signed with Warner Music Group and released their debut titled, Outskirts in 1987. Since then the group has released 11 studio albums, 2 live albums, and a greatest hits collection with the band’s total album sales surpassing the 4 million copies sold mark.

Over the years the band’s lineup has undergone a few changes with their current lineup consisting of original band members, Jim Cuddy (guitar/vocals), Greg Keelor (guitar/vocals) and Brazil Donovan (bass) along with new additions Glenn Milchem (drums), and Bob Egan (multi-instruments; guitars, pedal steel, banjo).

The band’s latest release, The Things We Left Behind, is a double-disc and their 12th studio album. The project comes in several different variations, as a 12×12 double gatefold, double vinyl album packaged with a double CD, individual full color art CD sleeves, and a lyrics insert or you can get the double CD version that comes without the double vinyl album.

All sixteen of the songs that are found on The Things We Left Behind are brand new and were co-written by original band members Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor.

I’m writing my review based on the 2-CD version of the release. Each of the CD’s feature 8 tracks that are filled with the band’s signature sound that’s a mixture of country, folk, and root’s rock music.

The lead vocals on the songs are shared by both Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy. You’ll be able to recognize who’s singing what by their distinctive vocal styles. Keelor’s vocals are deeper while Cuddy’s are higher-pitched and more treble sounding. You’ll also find lots of guest vocals courtesy of Canadian singer-songwriter and Indie rock band Cuff the Duke vocalist and guitarist.

Disc one of the release starts off with the track, “All The Things We Left Behind,” a song that starts out with an orchestral sound and a subtle deep drumbeat but as the song progresses moves more into a roots rock style. Lyrically the song deals with a broken relationship.

An interesting side note about “All the Things That Are Left Behind” is that it was the first song that Keelor says he ever wrote using the piano. The song also includes some interesting sounds from sampled tympanis that were then tuned to the track. The band also used a Mellotron to add cello and flute sounds to the track.

For those of you, like me, who aren’t really sure what a Mellotron is, it’s an electro-mechanical, polyphonic keyboard used a lot in 60s and 70s progressive rock music. The main component of the instrument is a bank of parallel linear magnetic audio tapes, which have eight seconds of playing time each. Playback heads located underneath each key enable the playing of pre-recorded sounds.

Next up is the song, “One More Night,” a lively keys (organ & Wurlitzer) and pedal steel filled track that has a really catchy sound that had my toes tapping along to its beats.

The next track that I would like to talk about is, “Never Look Back.” This up-tempo roots rocker is filled with well done guitar parts and vocal harmonies. Like many of the other songs the theme found on this one revolves around bad relationships.

The last song that I want to mention from disc-1 is, “One Light Left in Heaven.” The song is one of the several more melodic tracks that are found on The Things We Left Behind. The song has a real richness found on it thanks to its lush, guitar, violin and cello string parts.

Highlight tracks from disc-2 of the set includes the alt. country/roots rock track, “Arizona Dust,” and the interesting sounding track “Wasted,” that’s filled with both lively key work and some spacey sounding instrumental parts.

The 10-minutes long country/roots rocker, “Venus Rising,” gets the honor of wrapping up the music that’s found on disc-2. This song features several very lengthy period in which the song’s instrumentation is left to roam free in its green musical pastures. Lyrically the song deals with relationship issues that are a common theme found on this release. This time around though it’s about how life on the road can be really hard on a relationship.

There are several things that make The Things We Left Behind work so well including the large amounts of instrumentation that’s found in its songs, that are left to run free and not tied down to some shortened radio friendly formula. Also the several different style of music that are found in the songs that make up this release work very well together with each given their own time in the musical spotlight.

The 16 songs that make up The Things We Left Behind have the feel of having been through the fires of life and time spent on the road and have come out of it finely sharpened and ready to go!

Label:  Rating: 3.75 out of 4 Guns

These guys can make good
albums without trying.
And have. Not this time.
Cuddy, Keelor and Co.’s 12th
studio outing is their most
ambitious and varied set to
date, with 16 sharply crafted,
richly melodic tracks of
twangy rock, country honk,
rustic Americana, rootsy
soul, psychedelic freak-folk,
and even sombre orch-pop
and jazz. Seems all they left
behind were limitations.
****

Blue Rodeo
Album: The Things We Left Behind
Label: Warner
Rating: **** 1/2

It's too easy to take the songwriting of Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy for granted. Over the past 25 years, they¹ve become like a warm and comfortable shoe to fans of Canadian roots rock. Yet, on this new 16-song, double CD, Keelor and Cuddy prove they remain unequalled at what they do. This is an ambitious album without being over-bearing or jarringly experimental like 2002's Palace of Gold. Keelor pays homage to his taste for '60s psychedelia on epic production numbers like Million Miles, with its Who-like harmonies, and Venus Rising, the album's extended guitar closer. And there's plenty for fans of Cuddy's gentler balladry on tracks like Arizona Dust. Although Blue Rodeo has lost full-time keyboard player Bob Packwood, The Things We Left Behind does not deteriorate into a jangling guitar album. There are dozens of young bands trying to put their mark on a distinctly new Canadian alt-country sound. Unfortunately, they need look no further than this album to find it.

Blue Rodeo delivers classic roots-rock
By Lynn Saxberg

The Things We Left Behind ****

Canadian roots-rockers Blue Rodeo have hit a nice creative stride in the last few years, and it's good to see the momentum carry through on their latest studio recording.

Released Tuesday, The Things We Left Behind contains two albums worth of new songs, a motherload of music in this era of downloadable singles.

Happily, it doesn't feel bloated.

There are just eight songs on each album, and the studio tinkering is minimal. Most songs are based on the acoustic guitars and harmony vocals of co-frontmen Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, with judicious use of strings and piano

On the first disc, the songs range from the grand ambitions of the title track, an anthemic processional by Keelor, to Cuddy's swaggering, Stones-like "Sheba" and Keelor's epic "Million Miles".

But the second disc, my favourite, is where you'll find some of the best tunes, including the Beatlesque "Candice", a Keelor rocker called "Wasted", Cuddy's sad "And When You Wake Up" and the psychedelia-tinged "Venus Rising".
Given an extra layer of vocals provided by Cuff The Duke's Wayne Petti, who sings on most of the tracks, you'll be reminded of Crosby, Stills and Nash, as well as the Eagles, Beatles and Stones.

In other words, it's classic Blue Rodeo.

The official line, espoused almost verbatim every time Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy opens his mouth these days, is that the band's new double album, The Things We Left Behind – released Tuesday in a variety of formats, including a two-disc vinyl package complete with retro gatefold cover – is the result of a creative burst experienced jointly by Cuddy and his career-long sidekick, guitarist/songwriter Greg Keelor.

"When we first got together to play the songs we'd been preparing for the next recording, we realized we had far more than we could put on a single album," he says via a crackling cellphone from a car somewhere in Alberta, en route to Calgary, where he and Keelor played earlier this week. It was part of a quick, cross-country acoustic two-hander, the first the millionaire songwriters have undertaken in their extraordinarily successful 31-year partnership.

"It would have seemed false to divide them up and make two separate CDs," he says. "We decided to arrange the flow of the music over a double album, and to release it on vinyl, so we wouldn't be constrained by the length of the songs."

"We talked about sequencing the songs into four distinct sides, and stretching some songs out to 10 minutes, if that's what they needed. It's a nice way to arrange music."

It's not unusual for Cuddy and Keelor to arrive at Blue Rodeo sessions with an overabundance of new songs. The band leaders, who often rub each other the wrong way, generally resolve their difference in collaboration with long-time colleagues, bassist Bazil Donovan, drummer Glenn Milchem, lap-steel player Bob Egan and keyboardist Bob Packwood, by picking material that suits the band's general oeuvre and their fans' expectations, and saving the rest for solo releases.

But at a time when digital recordings seem to have lost their commercial viability, a new strategy seems both necessary and apropos. Cuddy and Keelor are making a big deal of their creative cohesiveness this time out, chatting it up like a couple of reunited brothers who've buried the hatchet.

"We haven't quite succumbed to the separate-vehicle touring mode," Keelor says, chuckling. "And we're actually sharing hotel rooms on this trip. Turns out Jim's a great roommate."

And the band is publicizing the launch of The Things We Left Behind with a performance on the roof of Diesel Playhouse (55 Blue Jays Way) on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., and an afternoon street party.
The band is also performing for the first time at the Grey Cup half-time show on Nov. 29.

Mindful of the re-emergence of long-playing vinyl recordings in the past five years, Cuddy and Keelor, who developed their musical muscles in the pre-digital era, are putting their best marketing feet forward, offering fans a seemingly more valuable product, a bigger slice of Blue Rodeo and a more formidable package.

"We've seen a huge resurgence of interest in vinyl," Keelor says. ""I don't think I'm alone in my appreciation of a collection of songs with interwoven themes spread over two discs. I don't think the concept is dead. In fact, I think it makes music more meaningful."

They're covering their bets, all the same.

The Things We Left Behind, produced at Blue Rodeo's Woodshed Studio just off Danforth Ave. in Toronto's east end, is also available as two CDs, and in a special iTunes digital package with interactive liner notes, exclusive photos of the band and portraits of their most prized instruments, a song-by-song commentary by Cuddy and Keelor, and bonus acoustic performances of four new songs from the album.

Whether it's a canny bit of commerce or a genuine exploration of the band's greater potential – evidenced occasionally in live performances – the double album is probably a more honest representation of Cuddy's and Keelor's very different musical natures than we've seen in a long time.
It covers a lot of ground, embracing expansive, symphonic constructs (Keelor's opening cut, "All The Things That Are Left Behind"), smart country-pop (Cuddy's "One More Night"), proto-punk alt-country (Keelor's "Never Look Back") and grand prog-rock instrumental experiments (the guitar-dominated closer, Keelor's "Venus Rising").

It's not quite Blue Rodeo's White Album, but it has a lot of disparate ideas that usually end up on the writers' very different solo projects.

"The solo stuff is just something to do between band recordings, which usually happen at the end of a two-year cycle," Keelor says. "Jim has a full secondary career going as a solo act, so the rest of us make solo recordings as well, to fill in the time."

As for Blue Rodeo's apparent step out of its safety zone with the new album, Cuddy says, "We're lucky to have our own hybrid studio – we can move back and forth between analog and digital modes. This time we set no limits on imagination."

Blue Rodeo, Howie Mandel inductees to Walk of Fame
 
By Lia Grainger,
 
An onscreen sexpot, twin fashion designers and an iconic children's author are among the eight Canadians selected to join Canada's Walk of Fame this year.

This year's eight inductees -- announced Tuesday by CEO and Walk of Fame president Peter Soumalias -- are folk-rock band Blue Rodeo, twin fashion designers Dsquared2 (Dean and Dan Caten), comedian and television host Howie Mandel, Paralympian track athlete Chantal Petitclerc, Sex in the City star Kim Cattrall, musician Tom Cochrane, the late actor and Perry Mason star Raymond Burr, and children's author Robert Munsch.

Canada's Walk of Fame honours Canadians with significant achievements in a wide range of categories, including music, sport, film, television, writing, visual and performing arts, and science and innovation. Since 1998, 116 Canadians have each had a star set in the King Street sidewalk in the heart of Toronto's entertainment district.

This year's inductees will be celebrated at the 12th annual Canada Honours tribute, an evening of performances and award presentations that will take place Sept. 12. The event's broadcast date on Global -- part of a new partnership between the Walk of Fame and Canwest -- has yet to be determined.

Although the nominees are diverse and difficult to define by a single characteristic, Soumalias has managed to come up with one: "Each and every one of their stories is inspirational," says the event's president.

"We, as an organization, hope to harness that energy and that storytelling and inspire the next generation of young Canadians and emerging talents."

In his announcement, Soumalias also revealed plans for a heritage centre to house objects of national significance. He said the location of the original Canadian flag, unfurled in 1965 is unknown, adding that the scenario is not unique.

The centre is one of several initiatives that Canada's Walk of Fame hopes to put in place in the coming years to better acknowledge the country's many success stories.

BRAD WHEELER

Toronto — Blue Rodeo

At Dakota Tavern

in Toronto on Tuesday

A disco ball twirled ironically at Toronto's Dakota Tavern, a charming honky-tonk basement of unfinished wood, half-barrel bar stools and Buck Owens concert posters. Men don't shave before arriving, and women don't mind a bit. It's where Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, the blue troubadours of iconic country-rockers Blue Rodeo, performed an intimate set Tuesday evening to benefit War Child Canada, a far-reaching organization that supports children imperilled by armed combat. It was a cozy event of informally strummed, often wistful music – nothing glitzy about it.

Keeler and Cuddy sparkled, though, in their own aw-shucks way. “We haven't played these songs in a while,” Cuddy cautioned early. “There may be a few surprises.”

Without their band mates, the unaffected pair stuck to simple campfire arrangements of material that spanned an ongoing career, from 1989's How Long to last year's nostalgic Blue House. Cuddy used a rack harmonica and occasionally a mandolin (on English Bay and Hasn't Hit Me Yet) in addition to his acoustic Gibson guitar. Keelor never let go of his six-string, a vintage Epiphone Texan model.

The two specialize in misty-eyed melodies and reflective lyrics, with memorable choruses sung in charismatic harmony – Cuddy high and Keelor low, usually, though they switched places on the gentle depression of 3 Hours Away.

What the two songwriters know is that even the worst events and poorest circumstances can be bearable if the load is shared. “You don't know what it's like,” they sang on a Bee Gees hit they now fairly own, “to love somebody, to love somebody, to love somebody the way I love you.” Some in the crowd, maybe the people who sang along, seemed to know what it was like.

The music of Keelor and Cuddy is about commiseration: Being off course isn't so bad as long as “we are lost together.”

The concert (part of an ongoing series, previously featuring shows by Sarah Harmer and Kathleen Edwards) ended with an encore of Disappear, Til I Am Myself Again and Bad Timing.

Blue Rodeo

ALT-COUNTRY

Blue Road
Blue Rodeo
***

Think of this CD/DVD combo as a Christmas-time communiqué updating you on the highlights of the sender's past year. That's what Blue Rodeo is, a family friend — one that on its Small Miracles tour graced Toronto's Massey Hall with a snug acoustic set, captured in purposely rough-cut form. The bonus of the package is a documentary by Chris Mills that covers a musical get-together on Greg Keelor's farm. The film is warmly shot, aimed at leaving fans as satisfied as Keelor's fat orange cat. And when Jim Cuddy sings an old, bittersweet George Jones hit, it's clear that if it was a good year for the roses, it was a fine one for Blue Rodeo too.

- Brad Wheeler

SXSW music: BoDeans, Blue Rodeo deliver strong sets

BoDeans and Blue Rodeo turn in strong sets
11:54 PM CDT on Saturday, March 15, 2008

By THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – A lot of alt-country acts are weeping over the death of No Depression, a magazine devoted to American roots music. But probably not the BoDeans or Blue Rodeo.

Both bands formed a decade before ND did – back when alt-country was still called roots-rock. And judging from their strong sets at South by Southwest, they'll still be kicking long after everyone's thrown their stacks of No Depression magazines in the recycling bin.

The Milwaukee-bred BoDeans are experts at finding the pop side of twang. Playing a free show Friday at Auditorium Shores, it had thousands "whoa-oh"-ing along to "Still the Night" from their T Bone Burnett-produced 1986 debut LP. Equally infectious was "First Time" from its new CD Still.

But for all their 24-karat melodies, the BoDeans' real trademark remains the honey-and-sandpaper harmonies of Kurt Neumann and Sam Llanas. Dallas gets its chance to hear them Friday night, when the group plays House of Blues.

Toronto's Blue Rodeo also has tons of shimmering hooks and harmonies in songs such as "What Am I Doing Here?," its brilliant set-starter at Smokin' Music. But the band focused on the roots side of roots-rock, firing up tunes with hard-core pedal steel and honky-tonk piano.

Like the BoDeans, Blue Rodeo is proof that great twangy music often hails from the frozen tundra.

They have the chops to warrant the attention and high expectations they’ve sparked since their debut....  When Rodeo hits the mark with the likes of “Summer Girls” they’re first class.

Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy, the Lennon & McCartney of Canadian roots-rock, have been writing and performing together for 25 years.  While there’s nothing to indicate that Small Miracles represents the end of the road, it does feel like it was written from a vantage point where that end is visible.  References to mortality and finality sprout in song after song, and most everything feels bathed in twilight.

“I don’t have all the time in the world, they sing on the album-opening “So Far Away”, and the title track, tellingly, is set late in the evening.  Keelor, whose songs tend to be edgier and more sprawling than Cuddy’s, laments a bruised-beyond-repair relationship that has reached the goodbye point in “It Makes Me Wonder”.  “C’mon,” which captures the sextet at their catchy-rock best, tells of days that are gone forever.  Even Cuddy’s brightly lit pop songs, “Summer Girls” and the crescendo marvel “This Town”, have the sting of leaving lurking.  And “3 Hours Away”, a gentle country rocker that’s reprised as the more atmospheric “Where I Was Before” to close the album, nails the overall mood:  “Some things aren’t meant to last/Like a day that burns up fast/Turn away and then it’s gone.”

Blue Rodeo’s trademark sound, a multi-national combination of Beatles, Band, and Byrds with the occasional honky-tonk detour, is in excellent form.  Even if the end of the road appears to be on the minds of Keelor and Cuddy, their music still sounds like it could go on forever.

- Rick Cornell

Blue Rodeo's quiet storm

Dual-personality show a revelation
JORDAN ZIVITZ, The Gazette
Published: Friday, February 01

About six years ago, Blue Rodeo rejuvenated itself with the temporary addition of a hot-blooded brass section. Last night at Théâtre St. Denis, the band proved you can gain just as much through subtraction.

For the first 50 minutes, Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor and company whittled away layer after layer of their country-folk-rock-soul hybrid, making very familiar songs dazzle in a new light.

Usually a mid-set show-stopper, 5 Days in May was moved to the opening position, reworked to bring all the intimacy out of a standard that even hard-core fans may have begun taking for granted. With Glenn Milchem's drum kit downsized to a solitary snare and Keelor's climactic guitar solo cascading instead of rumbling, the fireside mood was set.

The underrated Rebel was a gift for long-time followers, and for those who wish Blue Rodeo would plumb the depths of a very rich catalogue more often. Once again, the naked arrangement threw Keelor and Cuddy's harmonies into stark relief. More than at any show since the magical 1994 Spectrum two-nighter supporting the Five Days in July album, last night spotlighted not just the songs, but the voices.

Even numbers from the new album, Small Miracles, were recast: Blue House - an ace showcase for pedal-steel guitarist Bob Egan and keyboardist Bob Packwood - was considerably nimbler than on disc. Speaking of nimble, Try - another song that has suffered from ubiquity - was faster, looser and lighter than ever, losing at least 15 years of its age.

Melissa McClelland (from impressive opener Luke Doucet's band) lent crystal harmonies to the rarely played gem Know Where You Go/Tell Me Your Dream. Then, after Bad Timing stripped away everything but Cuddy and Keelor's guitars and harmonies, the rear-stage curtain dropped, revealing a full electric set-up. Considering everything that came before, Til I Am Myself Again had rarely sounded so cathartic and urgent.

Much of what followed served as a reminder of just how much electricity can course through Blue Rodeo's veins. Rose-Coloured Glasses found Keelor masterfully navigating the song's tricky middle ground between compassion and alienation. Black Ribbon was the mandatory stoner offering, sating fans of the band's elegantly wasted years, and a spiky C'mon more than made up for an atypically drowsy Mystic River.

The soothing spirit of the concert's first half rose again with What Am I Doing Here and a vulnerable Dark Angel. The latter - Keelor's crowning achievement - would have been more beautiful only if an attention-starved goofball hadn't let loose with a massively inappropriate whoop.

Critics are supposed to work behind an unconvincing veil of objectivity, but what the hell: Out of the 30-odd times I've seen Blue Rodeo, last night's expertly calibrated show ranks near the top of the list. If you're a fan - especially a lapsed one who has forgotten what attracted you to the band in the first place - buy a ticket for tomorrow's repeat performance. You'll love what's left out, and then love what's put back in.

"Everything they wanted, and more."  

(Live Review-Jan. 15, 2008 at Vancouver's Orpheum Theatre)

Blue Rodeo delivers a rich tapestry of rootsy goodness.

RATING:  4.5 stars (out of 5)

Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton - January 7, 2008  

EDMONTON - After all these years, Blue Rodeo can still surprise.

Impossible, you say?

A veteran band synonymous with words like "consistent" and reliable" that's been here a million times and does basically the same show every time can actually do something to shake things up?

Well, they did last night.

For the first of two nights at the Jubilee Auditorium, the band appeared to have morphed into a down-home, country jug band - complete with acoustic guitars and a stand-up drummer who played nothing but a snare - jamming out stripped down, salt-o'-the-earth arrangements that wouldn't have been out of place at the Grand Ole Opry - 50 years ago.

Not that big a stretch, I'll grant you. Blue Rodeo remains Canada's most country band that isn't a country band.
   
They could be a country band. All they'd need is some cowboy hats, some hits on country radio and a few drunk driving charges. Just joking - these guys would never get played on country radio. Yet they sound more country than most anything on there. Especially last night. The drummer didn't even have a cymbal.

Front man Jim Cuddy said, "As you can see, times are tough. We couldn't afford to bring the rest of our gear."

Just joking.

These guys are rich. Hello? Two sold-out nights in the Jube? All those platinum records?

They tour now behind another consistent and reliable new album, Small Miracles, which as usual contains a consistent and reliable assortment of hood-laden, rootsy gems that represents the finest that "alt-country" can offer.

It's alt-country with a touch of Everly Brothers, of course. That's what makes Blue Rodeo so special.

The show opened with a small skit. A man walked out into what appeared to be a small living room area, sat on a chair next to a record player and put on Ennio Morricone's The Lonely Goatherd or some such thing, which got a laugh.

What unfolded next was a rich tapestry of unplugged, rootsy goodness. The opener, Heart Like Mine, was just lovely. The lazy toon Five Days in May (from the album Five Days in July, which is really confusing) came off so peaceful and easy it could've been the Eagles on Quaaludes. Their version of To Love Somebody was wonderful.

An up-tempo new one called Blue House featured a tasty steel solo from Bob Egan and an even tastier piano solo from Bob Packwood. Keyword here: Tasty! You can see lots of new adjectives to add to "consistent" and "reliable."

And so it went. The quieter setting tolerated fewer wasted notes and showcased the some beloved songs in a whole new light.

The best example was probably Try, which sounds like a classic soul song set in a folk vein, recast on stage in a gentle two-step where you could hear every nuance. Cuddy even hit a higher note than was required. It was awesome.

I'm sure the crowd would've been pleased with this new and improved Blue Rodeo Jug Band all night, even the yahoos up in the balcony who kept shouting out for Dark Angel.

"I hate that song," Cuddy told them.

But then the band had another surprise up the sleeves of their tasteful western shirts.

With the release of a black scrim and a flash of light to reveal a proper drum kit for Glenn Milchem, Blue Rodeo ripped into a blistering rendition of Til I Am Myself Again - and voila, they were a country rock band rollicking away until well past deadline. Just like the old days.

What will they do next? These guys aren't famous by accident. The keyword is "showmanship."

By MIKE ROSS

Small Miracles

Blue Rodeo It’s very easy to take this Canadian roots rock institution for granted after two-plus decades in the game. The impact and influence they’ve had on the younger generation of artists they’ve gone out of their way to assist should not be underestimated, and they keep regularly delivering quality work. Small Miracles, studio album number 11, is one such worthy addition to the canon. Like your favourite brand of beer, you essentially know what you’re going to get with a new Rodeo record: there are going to be the ballads sung sweetly by Jim Cuddy alongside the more introspective and intense tunes delivered via Greg Keelor’s trademark gruff vocals. This yin and yang of the Lennon and McCartney of Canrock remains the essence of Blue Rodeo, and it’s yet to sound tired. Sure, there’s some lightweight fare here that won’t linger long (“Summer Girls,” for one) but there’s enough of the good stuff to keep their faithful fan base content. The disc starts strong with Keelor in full stride on the moving “So Far Away,” followed by another tuneful Cuddy-sung ballad, “This Town.” The musicianship throughout is predictably top-notch, whether it’s the eloquent piano on the melancholy “Together” or the haunting steel guitar punctuation on musically adventurous highlight “Black Ribbon.” Long may this Rodeo ride. 
-- Kerry Doole

**** (out of 5)

With Small Miracles, it seems apparent that Canuck rootsy-rock Kings Blue Rodeo are at the top of their game. That's saying a lot. They have gone from humble to huge over their long career and are arguably miles ahead of almost anyone making these kind of subtly engaging and well-crafted songs. The happy-making shuffle of Blue House, the adult-contemporary, romantic real-ness of It Makes Me Wonder and 3 Hours Away prove that main songwriters Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor can still deliver great songs that connect broadly. Their Byrds-informed chime is still evident here, and they even toss in some minor-key jazz on Together and a morsel of light psychedelia on the sweet Black Ribbon. It will definitely be worth checking them out when they hit the MTS Centre in late January.  
-- JM

Small Miracles

Just a few twang-heavy bars into the spirited opener, So Far Away, a deaf hermit with no radio could tell you this is Blue Rodeo. But familiarity doesn't always breed ennui, much less contempt. It is indeed a small miracle that an automatically identifiable band can make an album that sounds so fresh two decades after its debut. The vibrancy comes in part from a slight return to dormant country-fried roots, and Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor are pushing themselves farther than they were on 2005's comfort-food disc Are You Ready (witness Cuddy's atypically vitriolic C'mon and Beautiful’s jazzy outro). Warm, soulful and remarkably consistent, this is the stuff all 20-year-long careers should be made of. Jordan Zivitz, CanWest News Service 
--Ian McKellar

Blue Rodeo in a mellow mood on new disc

Everyone's favourite roots-rocker, Blue Rodeo, shows its mellower side on its latest release, Small Miracles (Warner). Known for mixing Jim Cuddy ballads with Greg Keelor guitar-scorchers, this time even Keelor keeps a lid on his noisy tendencies, aiming instead for quiet reflection.

When he does get experimental, it's on the production side. Black River stops mid-track for a Beatles-esque cello break. The sweet pedal steel and piano chorus give way to a daydream sequence, with some breathy sound effects straight out of I Am The Walrus, before launching back into a muted lead guitar break. Keyboards dominate on several tracks; Bob Packwood's acoustic and electric piano and organ are much more prominent than on other outings.

There's even a jazz feel to one track. And Jim Cuddy does what Jim Cuddy does better than any other Canadian singer: hitting the heart with timeless ballads. Standouts on this release are the title cut, an acoustic guitar and piano waltz, with Cuddy pouring his heart into the line "I pray for small miracles too"; and This Town, where he sits down at the piano, the "Surprise, surprise" chorus the disc's most glorious pop moment.

Another surprise is the disc's biggest rocker, which comes from Cuddy instead of Keelor, as he moves into a swinging, guitar-strumming mode on C'mon, which could've been a great Creedence Clearwater Revival hit. It's one of the few danceable tracks here, but so what, it's a passionate and pleasing disc, straight from the heart, and perhaps the long-lasting band's most beautiful. 

-- Bob Mersereau

A new vein of creativity for Blue Rodeo on latest disc
Blue Rodeo - Small Miracles (Warner Music Canada)
Rating 4 (out of five)

My first inkling of a renewed vitality among the members of Blue Rodeo came this past summer when I popped onto the band's tour bus to say hi before they performed at Bluesfest.

In this air-conditioned cocoon, cut off from the rest of the festival, I watched the core songwriting duo of Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor warm up for their big show as if they were jamming around a campfire. There was some impressive picking coming from their acoustic guitars, but I didn't recognize a thing.

Although it was a neat moment, it struck me as a funny way to hold a last-minute rehearsal -- why bother running through a bunch of stuff if you're not planning to play it on stage? However, now that I hear the band's amazing new record, I think I understand. It must have had something to do with the excitement of hitting a new vein of creativity.

For anyone who was expecting the same old midtempo country rock from a band that's been around for more than two decades, Small Miracles, Blue Rodeo's 11th studio outing, is a delightful surprise. While there are no shocking departures from the band's basic style (yup, still midtempo country rock), what sets this record apart is the terrific songwriting and inspired ensemble playing, with some built-in room for improvisation.

Recorded at the band's Woodshed studio in Toronto, Small Miracles captures the magic that happens between musicians who have been playing together for years. In Blue Rodeo's case, the fire is stoked a little higher by the presence of keyboardist Bob Packwood, the most recent addition to the band. His inventive piano and organ work gives the music a new dimension. There's also a string section adding a touch of colour to a handful of songs.

Keeping in mind that Cuddy and Keelor released excellent solo albums last year, it's pretty impressive that each one has come up with some more great songs for Small Miracles. It's easily their best album since the landmark Five Days in July, released in 1993.

From Cuddy, who just keeps getting better at cranking out songs that have melodic and emotional hooks, we hear the breezy Summer Girls, the tear-jerker 3 Hours Away, the melodic Mystic River and the upbeat first single, C'mon, which has a perky thump that disguises the love-gone-sour edge of the lyrics. My favourite of Cuddy's batch is the piano-laden This Town, the second single, a bittersweet ode to misplaced expectations and lost dreams that ultimately finds the will to keep trying. When Cuddy sings, "You don't have to love this town," in that silky tenor of his, resignation never sounded so sweet.

Keelor, who has always provided the dark, adventurous counterpart to Cuddy's tuneful country-pop songs, weighs in with some of the best songs of his career.

That includes the jangly psychedelia of So Far Away, the harrowing It Makes Me Wonder and the stark and haunting Beautiful. To my ears, the high point of the record is Keelor's Black Ribbon, a majestic anthem that strays into Come Together-like disarray before landing squarely back on the groove.

-- Lynn Saxberg

New member stokes Blue Rodeo's fire
Blue Rodeo - Small Miracles
Rating 4 (out of five)

For anyone who was expecting the same old mid-tempo country rock from a band that's been around for more than two decades, Small Miracles, Blue Rodeo's 11th studio outing, is a delightful surprise. While there are no shocking departures from the band's basic style, what sets this record apart is the terrific songwriting and inspired ensemble playing.

Small Miracles captures the magic that happens between musicians who have been playing together for years. In Blue Rodeo's case, the fire is stoked higher by keyboardist Bob Packwood, the most recent addition to the band.

Keeping in mind that Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor released solo albums last year, it's impressive that each has come up with more great songs for Small Miracles. It's easily their best album since Five Days in July, released in 1993.

From Cuddy, who keeps getting better at cranking out songs that have melodic and emotional hooks, we hear the breezy Summer Girls, the tear-jerker 3 Hours Away, the melodic Mystic River and the upbeat, C'mon, which has a perky thump that disguises the love-gone-sour edge of the lyrics. My favourite of Cuddy's batch is the piano-laden This Town, the second single, a bittersweet ode to misplaced expectations and lost dreams that ultimately finds the will to keep trying.

Keelor, who has always provided the dark, adventurous counterpart to Cuddy's tuneful country-pop songs, weighs in with some of the best songs of his career. That includes the jangly psychedelia of So Far Away, the harrowing It Makes Me Wonder and the stark and haunting Beautiful.

Keelor provides insight into the state of the band itself in his song Together.

Although a love song, there's another layer of meaning in the first verse that could be applied to the creative relationship within the band: "We can fight and argue all night/And I'll sing my blues/And you'll sing yours too/Cause no one's giving in/No one's even listening."

From what I've heard about Blue Rodeo, having six strong-willed musicians in one band can make for a creative clash. This song indicates they're learning how to work out their differences.

-- Lynn Saxberg, CanWest News Service

Discography

Contacts

Management

Worldwide
Starfish Entertainment
Susan de Cartier
416-588-3329
susan@starfishentertainment.com

Record Company

Canada
Warner Music Canada
Steve Blair - A&R
416-491-5005
steve.blair@warnermusic.com

US
TeleSoul Records
Susan de Cartier
416-588-3329
info@telesoulrecords.com

UK/Europe
Continental Record Services
Bert Pijpers
+31 (0) 317497654
bertp@ continental.nl

Agent

Canada 
Trick or Treat Agency
Kay White
705-527-1900
kaywhite7@aol.com

US 
Ground Control Touring
Andrew Colvin
718-218-8203
andrew@groundcontroltouring.com

UK/Europe
BPA Live
Bob Patterson
+44 (0)1473 749 556
bp@bpa-live.com

Publicist

Canada
Warner Music Canada
Steve Waxman - Dir. of Publicity
416-491-5005
steve.waxman@warnermusic.com

US
PAI Media
Paula Amato
212-206-1598
paula@paimedia.co

Europe
Continental Record Services
Bert Pijpers
+31 (0) 317497654
bertp@ continental.nl

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