Demons is the second in the series of four albums in the Nomad series which The Cowboy Junkies began in May 2010 and which they have vowed to complete by November 2011.
On their website they say “the main reason for wanting to do a series of four albums is that, as we steam through our 25th year, we feel that we have the energy and inspiration to pull it off”.
The first in the series , Renmin Park, was an excellent set of songs based on Michael Timmins’ experiences in China (you can read my review of this here)
Now comes their much anticipated (by me at least) covers album in tribute to their friend Vic Chesnutt who tragically died by his own hand on Christmas Day 2009.
The album is clearly a labour of love and conceived out of deep respect for Chesnutt’s unique songwriting talent. On paper, the match is perfect since both Chesnutt and the Junkies specialise in powerful melancholy ballads But Vic Chesnutt’s best songs are so idiosyncratic and personal that its hard to think of any artist that could improve upon them.
The Cowboy Junkies make a brave stab at it . The tracks Square Room and We Hovered With Short Wings are excellent but the decision to include Flirted With You All My Life is surely an error.
This ode to death is one of the most profoundly moving songs I know and great singer though she is, even Margo Timmins can’t make the opening line “I am a man, I am self aware” sound convincing. The Junkies version shaves almost a minute off the original and the brisk delivery of lines like “death you hector me and decimate those dear to me” or those that refer to his mother’s struggle with cancer means that they lose the mixture of rage and sadness. Just as you would never copy a suicide note and pass it off as your own; this is a song that just cannot be duplicated.
Still,if Demons succeeds in bringing Chesnutt’s work to a wider audience them it will have been worth it. If you don’t know his work, I would recommend rectifying this immediately. My favourite records are Is The Actor Happy? (1995), About To Choke (1996) and At The Cut (2009).
Here is his peerless version of Flirted With You All My Life:
Blog links:
Debriefing: the music and art of Vic Chesnutt
N.B.. Vic Chesnutt may still be with us if he had been able to meet his huge medical fees. Sweet Relief fund does valuable work raising funds to help musicians in a similar position.
