Cowboy Junkies Live in Concert
On a pretty spring night in Seattle's Benaroya Hall—home to the Seattle Symphony—the siblings seem to be at the top of their game. Never mind that lead singer Margo Timmins appears to have a cold. Her voice is still on fire, and the band's trademark musicianship is soaring nonetheless.Another milestone the band is celebrating on the night of this particular performance is the release of their latest album, At the End of Paths Taken (Compare Prices). Not entirely unlike their previous records, Paths celebrates the group's diverse and dynamic approach to Americana through the subject matter that becomes appropriate when one has been at their career for so long.
At the End of Paths Taken
In a recent interview, Margo Timmins told me that, for her, the record is about the many types of paths a person can take, and being at the point where one can look back at where those paths have led. Which is to say, perhaps, that 20 years is indeed a milestone, but is not necessarily the point where the Cowboy Junkies pack it up and go home.Timmins seems particularly retrospective during this show, speaking only to muse about her four-year-old son, and to relate a story of the band's experience traveling with the great Townes Van Zandt years ago. Van Zandt was a hero for Timmins, who describes him has "awful ... except when he was fantastic." Of course, Timmins isn't alone in her fondest memories of Townes—a songwriter whom most songwriters laud as one of The Greats. Tonight, the Cowboy Junkies honor Van Zandt's memory with an exquisite cover of his song "Rake."
Live and on Record
It's one of the few songs they perform that doesn't come from Paths. In fact, they begin their set with the record's big stand-out tune, "Mountain," and its stand-out refrain, "How does a mountain get so high?" As on "My Little Basquiat," which they perform later in the evening, the live performance departs only slightly from what is captured on the disc. On Paths, the mixing and sound quality is so perfected that Mike Timmins' background chanting and additional vocals are whispered to full effect. Live, the group skips the backing vocals altogether, instead allowing room for Margo to employ her big, big voice.Whether listening to At the End of Paths Taken, or catching the Cowboy Junkies live in concert, the one truth remains: this band has earned their way through 20 years of excellent alt.country, and will likely continue to impress us some more.
