Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot
(Northern Blues/Borealis)
First Appeared at The Music Box, December 2003, Volume 10, #12
Written by John Metzger
Following closely on the heels of his tribute to Johnny Cash, Colin Linden
has produced another compilation for the Northern Blues label, this time paying
homage to the career of fellow Canadian Gordon Lightfoot. Where the former
outing was a straight-forward, blues-oriented affair, Beautiful: A Tribute to
Gordon Lightfoot draws more from the worlds of both folk and rock music.
While much of the album offers little that is particularly groundbreaking or
remarkable, the artists assembled for the project reinterpreted the material
with solidly pleasing results. Blue Rodeo delivers Go Go Round with a
’60s pop flair; Bruce Cockburn slips inside Ribbon of Darkness’ blackened
veneer; Cowboy Junkies puts a charge into The Way I Feel, and The
Tragically Hip performs Black Day in July as if it were its own. Only
Connie Kaldor, Murray McLauchlan, and Maria Muldaur completely miss the mark,
turning in ridiculously bland renditions of If You Could Read My Mind,
Home from the Forest, and Same Old Obsession, respectively — each
without saying anything new. Although Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon
Lightfoot is hardly a vital set, fans of Lightfoot as well as any of the
artists involved in the project undoubtedly will find something to enjoy.
Beautiful: A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot is available from
Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2003 The Music Box