Tremolo – Blue Rodeo

While this album got a bit of a critical pounding when it came out, it has a lot of good songs on it. “Moon & Tree,” the opening track, is one of my favourite songs, harking back to the summery feel of “Five Days” without being a retread of anything on that album. It’s one of Greg Keelor’s “living in the country” tunes and it sounds like one of his happier songs in a while. Keelor’s work on this record ranges from that type to breakup rockers to meandering opuses like “Frogs’ Lullaby” — a strange piece that grows on you.

Jim Cuddy’s material also includes several good tunes, notably the midtempo “Shed My Skin,” the jazzy ballad “Falling Down Blue,” and the poppy protest song, “It Could Happen To You.” (This is no longer a band that feels they have to write political songs, but when the spirit moves them they still know how.)

Not a classic, perhaps, but at least eleven of the fourteen songs could be rated from good to excellent. That’s not bad.

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