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Tasmanian Anglican

July 2003

 

 

 

 


You've Never Seen Everything - Bruce Cockburn, 2003 Cooking Vinyl

 

You've Never Seen Everything

reviewed by Alex Wegman

 

 

It's probably fair to say that Bruce Cockburn has deeply ministered to the souls of many over the course of his 30+ year career. Approaching 60, this Canadian singer/songwriter has recorded songs that reveal powerful insights into the experience of being human, often viewed through a lens clouded by political and spiritual themes.

He rose to particular prominence in the early 80s with the song If I had a Rocket Launcher, expressing his outrage at the conditions in Guatemala at the time. Cockburn is marvellously difficult to categorise, and the 'accessibility' of his music varies, among the best being the work that takes some patience on the listener's part to get into. Once in, the rewards are great. Several hours of uninterrupted time and a good quality sound system are recommended.

Broken, with immense hope

'Tears - what we really traffic in' forms part of the refrain from the stunning title track of Cockburn's very latest CD You've Never Seen Everything. It illustrates the way that he has with words to cut to the heart of the human condition - broken, with immense hope.

You've Never Seen Everything marks something of a natural progression from his last major studio release, Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu (1999), as Cockburn experiments with some new sounds and styles, weaving brilliant spoken word pieces, Cambodian travel experiences, social commentary and September 11 reflections into the rich mix. Some of the musical contributions of note come from Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne and Hugh Marsh, as well as 'regulars' Sam Phillips, Gary Craig and Ben Riley.

It's good. I have given it several spins and am looking forward to getting further into it in the coming months. I despise having to classify music as 'Christian' or 'non-Christian', but for the music lover looking for challenging music that comes from an artist with a deep Christian faith, I recommend lending your ears to Bruce Cockburn. I'm not yet ready to suggest You've Never Seen Everything as an introduction to his music - for that I'd have to plug The Charity of Night (1997), or Nothing But a Burning Light (1991) as excellent choices for starters.

A good collection of information/lyrics/articles relevant to Bruce's music can be found at cockburnproject.net