Black Eyed Man

by

Cowboy Junkies

Edit

As an admitted Junkies devotee, I've listened to everything they've put out that I can get my hands on. Despite many good albums, Black Eyed Man is the one to which I consistently return when I want to hear the best of the Junkies. Although Trinity Session -- the other must-own -- is fantastic for its sparse arrangement, Black Eyed Man features the two most underappreciated qualities the Junkies possess: Michael Timmins's writing and Jeff Bird's awesome mandolin. How often is it that you hear a performance that defines an instrument? Jeff Bird has that kind of effect on me with his mandolin on "Murder Tonight in the Trailer Park," as do Timmins's lyrics. As for Timmins' lyrics, his perceptiveness and storytelling ability are present from the lyrics in other Junkies material, but none are as captivating or interesting -- although perhaps less introspective than in later recordings -- as on Black Eyed Man. For the best of the Junkies, buy and listen to them in this order: Trinity Sessions, Black Eyed Man, and then, at 4.5 stars, Pale Sun Crescent Moon. It rocks in a way that the others don't, and moves in a more edgy direction.