CMT Blog: Archive

Blue Rodeo is back with a new double album, The Things We Left Behind. It's a lot more orchestral and ominous than their previous albums, although it still has an overall roots-rock feel to it. They said they decided early on to make it a double album (remember those?) which was probably a smart move because many of the lyrics dwell on the doom and gloom of wrecked relationships, but spread out over two discs, there are a few sunny-sounding songs to break things up a little bit. It's more complicated than, say, Five Days in July (one of my favorite albums of all-time), but where that one seemed effortless, this one is caught in transition -- everybody's dealing with breakups, loss, hurtful gossip and even a shocking murder-suicide, if I'm understanding "One More Night" correctly.

The intriguing harmonies of Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor remain essential to their music, and the strains of folk, country and the pop music of 1960s California are evident throughout the album. I'm particularly fond of "Candice," about a woman with wanderlust, while "One Light Left in Heaven" shows the downside of restlessness. The guys are on tour in Canada right now, with a few performances scheduled later this month to coincide with the Winter Olympics. I hope they'll swing through Nashville when their U.S. tour kicks off in the late spring.