Bruce Cockburn: Speechless
Released in 2006 by True North Records.
Speechless: The Instrumental Bruce Cockburn. This CD has 15 superb instrumental tracks; 3 of which are new, and one which was previously only released in Japan. That track, Rise And Fall, is one of the standouts, and is a great test of bottom-octave bass response. Cockburn was a music major, and has been making records since 1970. His status is iconic in Canada, where he lives and works. As a songwriter, Cockburn is never at a loss for something to say - and his instrumental compositions bear this out also. His guitar work breathes and lives; the tunes are original, diverse, and memorable. They convey a broad spectrum of color, from dark and ethereal, to bright and joyful. Cockburn is a folk singer/songwriter, but as a musician and composer he’s quite unbounded by categorization. You’ll hear styles as far ranging as ragtime jazz, ECM 70s-era guitar jazz, and most everything in between. All played with heart and gusto.
A wonderful set of performances, in excellent sound. The production work is very good on this disc; despite the recordings spanning four decades, the songs share a similar sound signature, and the album is cohesive and works as a whole.
I love this CD - I very much like the “early” Cockburn stuff - it really highlights his mastery of the guitar (nice compositions too).