Brad Wheeler
Published on Monday, Nov. 09, 2009 2:41PM EST Last updated on Monday, Nov. 09, 2009 2:47PM EST
The Things We Left Behind
- Blue Rodeo
- Warner
The title suggests a closet-combing B-side and rarity collection, but that’s not what Blue Rodeo’s 12th studio work is all about – not even remotely. The Things We Left Behind is a trip of an album, a double CD that finds the veteran roots rockers (whose records are often likeable but rarely fascinating) exploring new textures as they summon the past. The hazy title track’s kettle drums – “bum-BUM” – open the record and announce a commitment to drama and orchestration (flutes, there be flutes!). A third harmony singer (Cuff the Duke’s Wayne Petti) frequently results in a Crosby, Stills and Nash feel, and the Who’s Tommy is recalled on the brash psychedelia of Wasted. But though Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy travel in the past for sounds, a lyrical thread promotes the idea of looking forward. If the hint is that this Rodeo’s round-up time is still some time off, the implication is a welcome one.
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