Sunday, February 13, 2011

Artist: Cowboy Junkies, Album: Miles From Our Home, Song: Someone Out There

"Someone out there kneeling.  No one out there listening.  But what I want to know before you save my soul.  Is who gave this power to that fucker up there?"  The Cowboy Junkies are a Toronto band that started their career in the mid eighties.  They are siblings, Mike, Margo and Peter Timmins as well as Alan Anton.  They released their debut in 1986 but attracted worldwide attention two years later with the release of the album, Trinity Sessions.  They were signed to RCA and their re-make of the Velvet Underground's, Sweet Jane, set a new standard for cover versions.  The album, Miles From Our Home, was released ten years after that album in 1998, with the label, Geffen.  It's a very good album that is often over looked within the scope of the band's work.  Geffen was apparently going through a merger around the time of this release and this particular album didn't receive the promotional support it deserved.  The experience was pivotal in souring the band's opinion of major labels and led them to begin recording under their own label, Latent Records.  Someone Out There, is another deep album cut that shares the sombre quality that only the Junkies can deliver while also providing a fierce statement.  The band continues to tour and record.  To date, they have 15 studio releases as well as another 20 or more bootlegs of live and unrecorded material.  Their latest project is entitled the Nomad Series and it includes 4 albums that will be released over the span of 18 months.  The second volume was just released in January.  You can follow them at http://latentrecordings.com/cowboyjunkies/.  You can purchase Miles From Our Home on Itunes.  You can hear the song, Someone Out There, on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0TRfUtbxx4).  Thanks for reading and enjoy!