Canadian Cowboy Junkies formed in 1985,

recorded/released their first album, Whites Off

Earth Now in 1986, second album, The Trinity

Sessions, brought them critical acclaim. This is

Open, originally released in 2001, now for

the very first time on vinyl!

The band haven't changed all that much, nine albums

since Whites Off Earth Now. Somehow the band has

maintained critical success, without having to sell-out -

- a tricky feat for any artist. The album was recorded

in much the same way as The Trinity Sessions, Open is

raw, pure, and untouched by overproduction.

Open is the milestone recording that the Cowboy

Junkies haven't produced since The Trinity Sessions.

What makes it such an exceptional work is how the

songs seem at the same time both tightly constructed

and free-flowing. It is this combination that creates

resonant and illuminating songs that allude to the

many meanings of being open. Musically, the album is

signature Cowboy Junkies-part folk, part country, part

blues, part rock. There's no one word that culminates

their sound.

Other than the basics, instrumentation includes

mandolin, harmonica, eight-string bass, organ, piano

and wurlitzer to create songs of varied textures and

intensities. The songs shift from being haunting and

melancholy to rowdy and turbulent. With each one the

Cowboy Junkies lure the listener in further and further

by their huge contrasts in mood from song to song,

there's not a insignificant one on it.

"Each song on this album is well-crafted and the mood

and feel of each song shifts, maintaining attention

through its entirety. The true beauty of it all lies in the

multifaceted message it sends. This is certainly an

album with a message. What that message is, isn't

easily construed. The only way to truly figure out the

band's message is to listen to Open, again, again, and

again. Each time will reveal a new aspect to this

incredibly open masterpiece." - PopMatters/Katy

Widder 2001

The single LP comes in classic black vinyl,

resequenced by Michael Timmins.

TRACKLISTING: 01. I DID IT ALL FOR YOU

02. DRAGGING HOOKS 03. BREAD & WINE

04. BENEATH THE GATE 05. DARK HOLE AGAIN

06. THOUSAND YEAR PRAYER 07. I'M SO OPEN

08. SMALL SWIFT BIRDS 09. CLOSE MY EYES