Cowboy Junkies - Trinity Revisited (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

Cowboy Junkies Head Back to Their Roots

Jeff Feezle | Indiana | 02/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"1987 was a watershed year for the Cowboy Junkies. Their tremendous boost from Saturday Night Live's performance of Lou Reed's immortal classic "Sweet Jane" propelled the CJ's into alt-rock icon status nearly overnight. Their success was also due to the underground cult hit: "The Trinity Sessions" which had a stripped, lo-fi approach to acoustic alt. Filmed in the Church of the Holy Trinity, the recording sounds almost as if it was an `afterthought', like the band performed from their heart, respectfully quiet for the surroundings, but almost as if they didn't even know they were recorded. That was largely the appeal of this live performance. Natural, base and real.

20 years later to the day, the Cowboy Junkies release a new CD/DVD combo of the same set of songs, performed at the same location, but with additional music stars of indie rock. Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant, and the imponderable Vic Chesnutt all contribute their nuances to this powerfully understated set.

The original recording was a 5-star CD, absolutely, if for no other reason than the importance it played in acoustic- alternative music. This new 2008 recording is sort of `dessert' for the fans of the original. My advice is to buy the first one first, get used to the music and the haunting originality of it, THEN buy this combo set so you can fully appreciate what it is truly about. In a way, "Trinity Revisited"'s purpose is more self-congratulatory than it is a necessity, and I say that being a full fan of the Junkies owning all of their music.

The DVD is a great Surround Sound experience: both high-definition recording and a `Making Of' documentary add great value to an already good value for $16. Still, it's sort of ironic that the naked original was remade in such a grandiose way.

There is no doubting that the first `Trinity Sessions' was an important recording, but the new release is primarily geared for Junkies junkies that already know what to expect.

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There are Spirits in this Place

wm | ...onward....thru the fog! | 02/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
I remember buying "The Trinity Session" LP 20 years ago as if it was just a couple of weeks ago. It got quite a bit of press because of its recording location, a church dating back to the 1800s, and also because of its unique recording using just a single microphone. I played that LP time and again, marveling at the special ambience the Cowboy Junkies had created.

One reviewer back then pointed out that the Cowboy Junkies' name evokes a hippie country sound. Before the Cowboy Junkies came along, there were other hippie country or country stoner musicians who had blazed the trail. The Junkies' sound pays homage to Gram Parsons, Neil Young, and of course Lou Reed (not that Lou Reed fits into the aforementioned genres, but the Junkies' version of "sweet Jane" certainly does.

On this re-visiting or re-creation of the Trinity Session, special guests Ryan Adams, a hippie country artist in his own right, Natalie Merchant, and Vic Chesnutt bring a new dimension to this special album. As jaw dropping as the original Session was, this is even better. The sound is nothing short of incredible...the instruments and voices swirling around you as you listen in the car or at home.

When Neil Young played the then renovated Bass Auditorium in Austin (which was later released as "Silver and Gold"), he commented that "...this place is like a musical church....it's new, but there are spirits in this place....".

There really are spirits in this re-recording of the Trinity Session. Put the disc or DVD in, and you'll hear it for yourself."

Two performances alone are worth the price

Aurelio T. McKewon | Virginia | 03/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For me, the quality of two of the performances is worth the price of the DVD. They are "Misguided Angel" and "200 More Miles".

In Misguided Angel, Margo alternates the lead vocal with Natalie Merchant, except at the end when they harmonize, and believe me, the result is outstanding. It is better than the original. The vocals are complemented by the whole band, but Jeff Bird in particular plays beautiful harmonica and strings.

In 200 More Miles, Ryan Adams performs one of the most transcendent and talented vocals I have ever witnessed. His clear articulation allowed me to hear words not comprehensible in the original. I have never heard a more emotional or angst-ridden treatment of lyrics, with the possible exception of the pre-Army Elvis, country music's George Jones or Wynonna Judd.

The beautiful stained-glass and altar of the Trinity Church are a great backdrop for the performances, which are tinged in blue floodlight. Others may find some of the other songs appealing. Criticism is subjective, this is just my two cents. But I would have gladly paid fifteen bucks just to have Misguided Angel and 200 More Miles to watch over and over again."

Could it be even better than the original?

Nadyne Mielke | Mountain View, CA USA | 05/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Everyone has a copy of Trinity, as well they should. When I saw that the Junkies were going to re-record it, I was more than a bit apprehensive. My most recent experiences with an artist revisiting their old work, such as Tori Amos's re-working of several songs for her retrospective "Tales of a Librarian", left me cold. So this has been sitting on my shelf for a few months now, waiting for me to listen.

I'm now kicking myself for waiting so long. They didn't just re-record the old tracks, they took a fresh look at them. This fresh look is helped along by bringing in a surprising slate of guest artists: Natalie Merchant, Ryan Adams, and Vic Chesnutt. It works, it works really really well. I am in awe.

The album starts out with Margo doing "Mining for Gold". Even though it's acapella, and even though I don't think she's changed the phrasing, she made it sound more plaintive this time around. It's a great introduction to the album.

Next up is "Misguided Angel". I've listened to this song hundreds of times, and I've heard it live a couple of dozen times. Maybe it's my long association with this song, but it's also the song that I think is least well-served by the introduction of an additional voice. Natalie Merchant sings with Margo on this one. Natalie Merchant has a distinctive voice that I generally like, but which I don't think is a general-purpose voice. Margo could sing the phone book and I'd love it, but not Natalie. And here, Natalie's voice makes it feel like she's intruding on the song. On first listen, this gave me pause for the rest of the album. Thankfully, I needn't have worried.

Vic Chesnutt comes in on "Blue Moon Revisited", which is the first song that made me remember exactly why I like him so much. Vic is an acquired taste, to be sure, but this is probably one way to make him more accessible. His voice on this track, and even moreso on "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Dreaming My Dreams with You" is nothing short of haunting. These three songs have been in constant rotation on my iPod for the past couple of weeks.

Ryan Adams can be heard playing guitar on most of the album, with his singing coming to the fore on "I Don't Get It". The song, while still sedate, becomes a bit more boisterous and fun. He's a great foil to Margo's singing here. Later on, his take on the slightly-melancholy "200 More Miles" is inspired.

Natalie Merchant returns to take on "To Love Is to Bury". This is a Junkies-free tune: she plays piano, and the unofficial (although I don't understand why he's unofficial) fifth Junkie Jeff Bird plays fiddle. The rest of the band is nowhere to be seen. This song shines, which serves to make the earlier "Misguided Angel" all that more disappointing. She's really well-suited to this song, and I think that she does a better version of it than the couple of live versions that I've heard from the Junkies themselves in the past few years. I feel a bit guilty for saying that, but there you have it.

"Working on a Building", "Sweet Jane", "Postcard Blues", and "Walking After Midnight" feature all of the musicians. "Working on a Building" and "Walking After Midnight" especially feel like the listener is getting a

special look at a group of people who are just playing together for the fun of it, and in the course of having fun, they're creating some exquisite music. Sometimes a band jams together and magic happens; four separate incidents of that occur on this album.

The DVD is just gorgeous. The artists are in a circle in the church, and the lighting and shooting make for a beautiful concert video, the likes of which haven't been seen before. The DVD intensifies the feeling of sneaking a peak into an intimate jam session.

I hesitate to throw around the term "instant classic", but I'm not sure if any other descriptor could possibly do it justice. It's so good that it begs the question of whether this album is better than the original. Both are great. The original is one of the seminal works of our time, the latter feels like it will get there after a few more listens. Is one better? I honestly can't answer that question -- and that underscores the strength of this album. I can't recommend this album highly enough."

Spirit of its own

Paul Wheelock | Syracuse, New York | 03/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wisely, the Cowboy Junkies did not approach this recording as re-recording of their classic album "The Trinity Session." They realized that that recording was untouchable in its quicksilver essence. That type of excellence would be impossible to recreate. Instead they came together for "The Trinity Revisited" 20th anniversary with friends and better recording technology to sing the songs of the first "Session" to acknowledge its legacy and celebrate its spirit. It is not as though they saved all these songs for 20 years to just record them once again. These are songs they have sung for the last 20 years all over the world and now have come back to the place where they were "born." The music they have created along with Ryan Adams, Jeff Bird, Vic Chesnutt and Natalie Merchant is astonishing in its beauty and touching in the care they took recreating each song as if they were recording them for the first time. Though exact copies in content, this new recording soars with a spirit of its own ... and thankfully it was all captured beautifully on DVD."

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