COWBOY JUNKIES : BLACK EYED MAN

 

  1. Southern Rain
  2. Oregon Hill
  3. This Street, That Man, This Life
  4. A Horse in the Country
  5. If You Were the Woman and I Was the Man
  6. Murder, Tonight, In the Trailer Park
  7. Black Eyed Man
  8. Winter's Song
  9. The Last Spike
  10. Cowboy Junkies Lament
  11. Townes' Blues
  12. To Live Is to Fly

Label : BMG

Length : 46:06

Released : 1992

Review from AllMusic : The Cowboy Junkies' Black-Eyed Man is an excellent return to form following their disappointing third LP, The Caution Horses. Where Michael Timmins' songwriting was stilted and overly self-conscious on the previous record, here his character studies are literate and finely-etched; like Robbie Robertson before him, Timmins' Canadian roots allow him to view the rural American experience with unique objectivity, and narratives like the opening "Southern Rain" and "Murder, Tonight, in the Trailer Park" are told with compassion and cinematic detail. Black-Eyed Man also broadens the Junkies' musical horizons: "If You Were the Woman and I Was the Man," a duet with John Prine, is like a '50s-era love song intercepted from an alternate reality; while tracks like the lilting "A Horse in the Country" push the group closer to the folk-pop territory of 10,000 Maniacs. At the same time, their country roots are further reinforced by a pair of outstanding Townes Van Zandt covers, "Cowboy Junkies Lament" and "To Live Is to Fly"; sandwiched between them is Timmins' own tribute, "Townes' Blues."

Review from Wikipedia : Black Eyed Man is a 1992 album by Cowboy Junkies. The album continues the band's evolution from a spare country blues style (exemplified by 1988's The Trinity Session) to a more mainstream country rock style. However, the album was better received by critics than 1990's The Caution Horses. American songwriter Townes Van Zandt wrote "Cowboy Junkies Lament" especially for the band. Michael Timmins returned the favor, penning "Townes' Blues" as a tribute to Van Zandt. The band also cover Van Zandt's "To Live is to Fly" at the end of the album. John Prine appears as a guest vocalist on "If You Were the Woman and I Was the Man."