Charity of Night

Personnel: Bruce Cockburn (vocals, acoustic, electric & resophonic guitars, dobro); Bonnie Raitt (slide guitar); Colin Linden (mandolin); Joe Macerollo (accordion); Janice Powers (keyboards); Gary Burton (vibraphone); Rob Wasserman (bass); Gary Craig (drums, tambourine, percussion); Bob Weir, Ani DiFranco, Jonatha Brooke, Patty Larkin, Bob Weir, Maria Muldaur (background vocals).
Recorded at Reaction Studios, Toronto, Canada.
Audio Mixer: John Whynot.
Recording information: Bob Weir's Studio; Electro Magnetic Sound; Reaction Studios, Toronto; Ther Plant, Sausalito.
Illustrator: William Sienkiewicz.
Photographer: Malcolm Burn.
Poetic images are scattered like stars across the sky in Bruce Cockburn's 23rd album, particularly images of darkness and light. In these songs, lights sweep through the dark, shapes appear in the near dark, shadows form. "Ice cube in a dark drink shines like starlight/Starlight shines like glass shards in dark hair," Cockburn sings on "Night Train." Cockburn likes to pin down visceral images that can make his songs universal. On "Pacing The Cage," he sings, "I've proven who I am so many times/The magnetic strip's worn thin/And each time I was someone else/And everyone was taken in."
THE CHARITY OF NIGHT features an amazing core band that includes vibraphonist Gary Burton, drummer Gary Craig and bassist Rob Wasserman. Dropping in as guests are the likes of Ani DiFranco, Bonnie Raitt and Patty Larkin. This is surprisingly fresh material, not at all familiar-sounding, but Cockburn's longtime fans won't be disappointed. As usual, he conveys a palpable sense of integrity, an intense belief in what he's singing about and a seamless merging of the spiritual and the political.