Nowhere to Here

Blue Rodeo includes: Bazil Donovan (bass).
Personnel: Jim Cuddy (vocals, guitar, piano); Greg Keelor (vocals, guitar); Bazil Donovan (guitar); Kim Deschamps (lap steel guitar, dobro); John Whynot (piano, Farfisa, 6-string bass, fretless bass); James Gray (keyboards); Glenn Milchem (drums); Sarah McLachlan (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: John Whynot.
Recording information: Lost Cause Studios; Reaction Studios.
First came the loud, noisy LOST TOGETHER, then the quietly rustic, mostly acoustic FIVE DAYS IN JULY. So where does Blue Rodeo go next? Oddly enough, to psychedelicized, Beatlesque pop! A deeply introspective, even somber album which opens with the dark six-minute ballad "Save Myself" and closes with the even darker eight-minute ballad "Flaming Bed," NOWHERE TO HERE is nonetheless largely a catchy and compelling pop record, one that sounds kind of like Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers circa SOUTHERN ACCENTS trying to recreate the production and arrangements of REVOLVER.
"Girl In Green" is a wistful slice of pop heaven, while the more sardonic "Better Off As We Are" and "Blew It Again" sound more grounded in slightly cynical reality. Throughout, the Toronto quintet play and sing with remarkable passion, making NOWHERE TO HERE a powerful listen if not always a comfortable one.