10389 - BLUE RODEO - IN OUR NATURE (2013)
BLUE RODEO
''IN OUR NATURE''
SEPTEMBER 24 2013
62:49
**********
1 New Morning Sun (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 04:35
2 Wondering (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 05:06
3 Over Me (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 03:26
4 Never Too Late (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 04:52
5 When The Truth Comes Out (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 03:55
6 Paradise (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 04:28
7 Tell Me Again (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 03:53
8 Mattawa (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 03:49
9 Made Your Mind Up (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 05:25
10 In Our Nature (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor, Damian Rogers) 05:24
11 In The Darkness (Jim Cuddy, Margaret Good, Greg Keelor) 02:55
12 You Should Know (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 03:25
13 Tara's Blues (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 04:28
14 Out Of The Blue (Robbie Robertson) 07:01
**********
Michael Boguski/Organ, Piano, Piano (Electric)
Colin Cripps/Guitar, Vocals (Background)
Jim Cuddy/Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Bazil Donovan/Bass Guitar
Bob Egan/Banjo, Dobro, Mandolin, Pedal Steel Guitar
Greg Keelor/Guitar, Vocals
Glenn Milchem/Drums
Wayne Petti/Vocals (Background)
**********
ABOUT THE ALBUM
''In Our Nature'' was produced by Blue Rodeo, primarily at Greg Keelor’s farm studio. While at Keelor’s farm, the band had each musician set up and perform in separate rooms around the house giving the record a very warm and communal character.
“Recording at Greg's farm was key to the groove of this record,” says Jim Cuddy. “I was a little unsure at the beginning whether it was a good idea to encamp at Greg's as we have a great studio in downtown Toronto. But by the time we got comfortable at Greg's, after a few days, it was obvious that being in his farmhouse and being surrounded by the great outdoors was having such a positive effect on the collective spirit. It was very unifying.”
“Doing a lot of touring while making this record helped a lot,” says Greg Keelor. “Everybody was getting along and the band was playing well together. I think it's a good crop of songs and everyone just played it right and they played it beautifully.”
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Steve Leggett
In many ways, Blue Rodeo are the Canadian version of the Eagles. Led by two distinct yet thematically similar songwriters and singers, Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy, the band has been delivering a rootsy folk and country-rock-pop sound since 1984 across some dozen albums or so, and has won nearly every award given in the Canadian music industry, all without making barely a commercial dent in the U.S. Like the Eagles, Blue Rodeo usually feature acoustic guitars with rock dynamics, sharp harmonies, and songs that explore broken or troubled romances, vanishing dreams, busted promises, and lost or uncertain futures. Whatever personnel changes the band has had over the years, the core has always been Keelor and Cuddy (the two share songwriting credit in the Lennon/McCartney style, but apparently write alone), much in the way that Glenn Frey and Don Henley have always sat in the creative driver's seat of the Eagles, although in Blue Rodeo's case, without the acrimony. And also like the Eagles, Blue Rodeo have been doing the same kind of thing for a long time, and like the Eagles, they sound a little worn, tired, and overly serious these days. In Our Nature is the group's 13th album, recorded at Keelor's farmhouse, much like one of the band's best albums, Five Days in July, was some 20 years earlier. There the resemblance ends. In Our Nature is full of well-recorded, warm-sounding songs that are brimming with personal commitment and passion, but unfortunately little in the way of melodies that stick in the head. That's a problem for a band that depends on its pop skills to temper the declarative nature of its songwriters. Almost everything here is at a slow to medium tempo, and whether it's Keelor or Cuddy, every song seems downcast, full of emotional turmoil that is unfortunately communicated with overblown, sophomoric lyrics -- every song literally seems to have storm clouds in it. There are a couple highlights, most notably the slightly Byrdsian "Over Me," which is maybe one rewrite away from being a great pop song, and "Tell Me Again," which is a great honky tonk jukebox country song by any standards. The rest of the album, though, sounds theatrically melancholy, full of bad poetry and not enough real hooks, however sincere and serious Keelor and Cuddy are about what they're doing. It just sounds tired, and maybe a little desperate, much like where the the Eagles find themselves a decade and change into the 21st century.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Huey
Canada's most popular roots rock band, Blue Rodeo, became a veritable institution in their home country, although they never quite moved beyond cult status in the U.S. Their sound was a basic blend of country, folk, and rock, but with a definite pop appeal that underlined their devotion to later-period Beatles, in addition to expected touchstones like Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, and the Band. Consistency was the hallmark of Blue Rodeo's output, both in terms of sound (which followed much the same blueprint throughout their career) and quality (thanks to the songwriting team of vocalists/guitarists Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor). That, in turn, allowed the band considerable longevity, and they started to earn a whole new audience with the advent of the No Depression movement.
Blue Rodeo was founded in Toronto by its two lead singers, guitarists, and songwriters, Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor. The two met in high school and had been playing together since 1977, when they started a punk-influenced band called the Hi-Fi's. In 1981, they moved to New York in search of a record deal, and reorganized the band under a new name, Fly to France. Three years of hunting proved fruitless, and the group switched styles several times before Cuddy and Keelor returned to Toronto in 1984. The following year, they assembled a new band with the idea of returning to organic, guitar-based music in an era dominated by synth pop. Christened Blue Rodeo, the initial lineup also featured drummer Cleave Anderson, bassist Bazil Donovan, and keyboardist Bob Wiseman.
Blue Rodeo quickly became a popular live act on the Toronto scene, which was already geared toward the kind of music the band was playing. They caught the attention of John Caton's Risque Disque label, which signed them and worked out a distribution deal with Warner's Canadian division. Their 1987 debut album, Outskirts, was a smash hit in Canada, selling over 200,000 copies (the Canadian equivalent of double platinum) and landing them a slot on tour opening for k.d. lang. The more introspective, socially aware Diamond Mine followed in 1989, and it sold even better, not to mention winning the band its first of many Juno Awards. That same year, they appeared in the Meryl Streep film Postcards from the Edge, but also lost drummer Anderson, who retired from music and was replaced by Mark French. Meanwhile, Wiseman released his first solo album, In Her Dream: Bob Wiseman Sings Wrench Tuttle.
Moving up from the now-defunct Risque Disque to Warner itself, Blue Rodeo made a promotional push in the United States with their third album, 1990's slightly poppier Casino. Produced by Pete Anderson (of Dwight Yoakam fame), the album was a hit with American critics, but not American record buyers; nonetheless, it still went platinum in Canada. Blue Rodeo returned in 1992 with one of their most acclaimed albums, Lost Together; it marked the final appearances of Mark French and Bob Wiseman, the latter of whom had already completed a second solo record and departed for a highly idiosyncratic career on his own. New drummer Glenn Milchem, keyboardist James Gray, and steel guitarist Kim Deschamps were all onboard for 1994's folky, largely acoustic Five Days in July. Recorded at Keelor's rural farmhouse the previous summer, it proved to be one of the band's biggest critical and commercial successes in Canada, introducing a number of fan favorites.
Blue Rodeo's hot streak continued with 1995's Nowhere to Here, a more eclectic record that re-established the group's connection to '60s psychedelia. The follow-up, 1997's Tremolo, was a looser, more jam-oriented record that focused on spontaneity over careful songcraft; perhaps as a result, it received mixed reviews. Meanwhile, Keelor issued his first solo album, Gone, that year, and Cuddy's own debut, All in Time, followed in 1998. Following those side projects, Blue Rodeo issued the double-live collection Just Like a Vacation in 1999, and reconvened in the studio for The Days in Between. By the time it was released in 2000 (again to mixed reviews), Kim Deschamps had parted ways with the band, and was replaced by former Wilco member Bob Egan. Following the release of a Greatest Hits album in 2001, Egan made his debut on 2002's Palace of Gold. The group returned in 2005 with Are You Ready and again in 2007 with Small Miracles, both for WEA International. The two-disc The Things We Left Behind was released in 2010. The band's 13th album, In Our Nature, appeared in 2013.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
''IN OUR NATURE''
SEPTEMBER 24 2013
62:49
**********
1 New Morning Sun (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 04:35
2 Wondering (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 05:06
3 Over Me (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 03:26
4 Never Too Late (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 04:52
5 When The Truth Comes Out (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 03:55
6 Paradise (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 04:28
7 Tell Me Again (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 03:53
8 Mattawa (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 03:49
9 Made Your Mind Up (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 05:25
10 In Our Nature (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor, Damian Rogers) 05:24
11 In The Darkness (Jim Cuddy, Margaret Good, Greg Keelor) 02:55
12 You Should Know (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 03:25
13 Tara's Blues (Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor) 04:28
14 Out Of The Blue (Robbie Robertson) 07:01
**********
Michael Boguski/Organ, Piano, Piano (Electric)
Colin Cripps/Guitar, Vocals (Background)
Jim Cuddy/Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Bazil Donovan/Bass Guitar
Bob Egan/Banjo, Dobro, Mandolin, Pedal Steel Guitar
Greg Keelor/Guitar, Vocals
Glenn Milchem/Drums
Wayne Petti/Vocals (Background)
**********
ABOUT THE ALBUM
''In Our Nature'' was produced by Blue Rodeo, primarily at Greg Keelor’s farm studio. While at Keelor’s farm, the band had each musician set up and perform in separate rooms around the house giving the record a very warm and communal character.
“Recording at Greg's farm was key to the groove of this record,” says Jim Cuddy. “I was a little unsure at the beginning whether it was a good idea to encamp at Greg's as we have a great studio in downtown Toronto. But by the time we got comfortable at Greg's, after a few days, it was obvious that being in his farmhouse and being surrounded by the great outdoors was having such a positive effect on the collective spirit. It was very unifying.”
“Doing a lot of touring while making this record helped a lot,” says Greg Keelor. “Everybody was getting along and the band was playing well together. I think it's a good crop of songs and everyone just played it right and they played it beautifully.”
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Steve Leggett
In many ways, Blue Rodeo are the Canadian version of the Eagles. Led by two distinct yet thematically similar songwriters and singers, Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy, the band has been delivering a rootsy folk and country-rock-pop sound since 1984 across some dozen albums or so, and has won nearly every award given in the Canadian music industry, all without making barely a commercial dent in the U.S. Like the Eagles, Blue Rodeo usually feature acoustic guitars with rock dynamics, sharp harmonies, and songs that explore broken or troubled romances, vanishing dreams, busted promises, and lost or uncertain futures. Whatever personnel changes the band has had over the years, the core has always been Keelor and Cuddy (the two share songwriting credit in the Lennon/McCartney style, but apparently write alone), much in the way that Glenn Frey and Don Henley have always sat in the creative driver's seat of the Eagles, although in Blue Rodeo's case, without the acrimony. And also like the Eagles, Blue Rodeo have been doing the same kind of thing for a long time, and like the Eagles, they sound a little worn, tired, and overly serious these days. In Our Nature is the group's 13th album, recorded at Keelor's farmhouse, much like one of the band's best albums, Five Days in July, was some 20 years earlier. There the resemblance ends. In Our Nature is full of well-recorded, warm-sounding songs that are brimming with personal commitment and passion, but unfortunately little in the way of melodies that stick in the head. That's a problem for a band that depends on its pop skills to temper the declarative nature of its songwriters. Almost everything here is at a slow to medium tempo, and whether it's Keelor or Cuddy, every song seems downcast, full of emotional turmoil that is unfortunately communicated with overblown, sophomoric lyrics -- every song literally seems to have storm clouds in it. There are a couple highlights, most notably the slightly Byrdsian "Over Me," which is maybe one rewrite away from being a great pop song, and "Tell Me Again," which is a great honky tonk jukebox country song by any standards. The rest of the album, though, sounds theatrically melancholy, full of bad poetry and not enough real hooks, however sincere and serious Keelor and Cuddy are about what they're doing. It just sounds tired, and maybe a little desperate, much like where the the Eagles find themselves a decade and change into the 21st century.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Huey
Canada's most popular roots rock band, Blue Rodeo, became a veritable institution in their home country, although they never quite moved beyond cult status in the U.S. Their sound was a basic blend of country, folk, and rock, but with a definite pop appeal that underlined their devotion to later-period Beatles, in addition to expected touchstones like Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, and the Band. Consistency was the hallmark of Blue Rodeo's output, both in terms of sound (which followed much the same blueprint throughout their career) and quality (thanks to the songwriting team of vocalists/guitarists Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor). That, in turn, allowed the band considerable longevity, and they started to earn a whole new audience with the advent of the No Depression movement.
Blue Rodeo was founded in Toronto by its two lead singers, guitarists, and songwriters, Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor. The two met in high school and had been playing together since 1977, when they started a punk-influenced band called the Hi-Fi's. In 1981, they moved to New York in search of a record deal, and reorganized the band under a new name, Fly to France. Three years of hunting proved fruitless, and the group switched styles several times before Cuddy and Keelor returned to Toronto in 1984. The following year, they assembled a new band with the idea of returning to organic, guitar-based music in an era dominated by synth pop. Christened Blue Rodeo, the initial lineup also featured drummer Cleave Anderson, bassist Bazil Donovan, and keyboardist Bob Wiseman.
Blue Rodeo quickly became a popular live act on the Toronto scene, which was already geared toward the kind of music the band was playing. They caught the attention of John Caton's Risque Disque label, which signed them and worked out a distribution deal with Warner's Canadian division. Their 1987 debut album, Outskirts, was a smash hit in Canada, selling over 200,000 copies (the Canadian equivalent of double platinum) and landing them a slot on tour opening for k.d. lang. The more introspective, socially aware Diamond Mine followed in 1989, and it sold even better, not to mention winning the band its first of many Juno Awards. That same year, they appeared in the Meryl Streep film Postcards from the Edge, but also lost drummer Anderson, who retired from music and was replaced by Mark French. Meanwhile, Wiseman released his first solo album, In Her Dream: Bob Wiseman Sings Wrench Tuttle.
Moving up from the now-defunct Risque Disque to Warner itself, Blue Rodeo made a promotional push in the United States with their third album, 1990's slightly poppier Casino. Produced by Pete Anderson (of Dwight Yoakam fame), the album was a hit with American critics, but not American record buyers; nonetheless, it still went platinum in Canada. Blue Rodeo returned in 1992 with one of their most acclaimed albums, Lost Together; it marked the final appearances of Mark French and Bob Wiseman, the latter of whom had already completed a second solo record and departed for a highly idiosyncratic career on his own. New drummer Glenn Milchem, keyboardist James Gray, and steel guitarist Kim Deschamps were all onboard for 1994's folky, largely acoustic Five Days in July. Recorded at Keelor's rural farmhouse the previous summer, it proved to be one of the band's biggest critical and commercial successes in Canada, introducing a number of fan favorites.
Blue Rodeo's hot streak continued with 1995's Nowhere to Here, a more eclectic record that re-established the group's connection to '60s psychedelia. The follow-up, 1997's Tremolo, was a looser, more jam-oriented record that focused on spontaneity over careful songcraft; perhaps as a result, it received mixed reviews. Meanwhile, Keelor issued his first solo album, Gone, that year, and Cuddy's own debut, All in Time, followed in 1998. Following those side projects, Blue Rodeo issued the double-live collection Just Like a Vacation in 1999, and reconvened in the studio for The Days in Between. By the time it was released in 2000 (again to mixed reviews), Kim Deschamps had parted ways with the band, and was replaced by former Wilco member Bob Egan. Following the release of a Greatest Hits album in 2001, Egan made his debut on 2002's Palace of Gold. The group returned in 2005 with Are You Ready and again in 2007 with Small Miracles, both for WEA International. The two-disc The Things We Left Behind was released in 2010. The band's 13th album, In Our Nature, appeared in 2013.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********