Cowboy Junkies : Renmin Park (Razor & Tie)

By Ben Liew  •  11 Oct 2010 in Review

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For the past 25 years and 17 albums, Toronto’s Cowboy Junkies have been shooting up a dark, brooding, sultry mix of folk, country, blues and rock. And now they’re pushing things further with an album inspired by China. Renmin Park is the 1st volume in the band’s Nomad series and was where guitarist/songwriter Michael Timmins killed time waiting to adopt 2 Chinese children.

Sounds like an evening TV drama? Oh well, at least the songs are true to Cowboy Junkies’ flavour with the addition of Chinese traditional instruments, conversations and street performances. As usual, Margo Timmins’ visceral voice is as stunning as it is haunting, and the rest of the band stands stately behind her.

LISTEN TO: ‘Stranger Here’

HELL YEAH! YOU SHOULD CHECK THIS OUT TOO: Wilco, Marah, Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions

RATING: 4

More Chinese whispers at latentrecordings.com/cowboyjunkies.