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The original Cowboy Junkies' record, The Trinity Session,
has attained near-mythical status over the two decades since it was
originally released. The stories of being recorded in a church with
the band gathered around a single microphone are more than likely
exaggerated a bit… but it truly was recorded in the Church of
the Holy Trinity in Toronto, and to celebrate the 20th anniversary
of that session, the Junkies returned to create some new magic. The
Timmins siblings brought with them some good friends to help
create a brand new sense of magic in the re-recording of the classic
album, including Natalie Merchant, Ryan Adams, and Vic
Chesnutt. The session was documented by filmmakers Francois
and Pierre Lamourex, and a DVD of the performance accompanies
the CD release. Also included on the DVD is a nice documentary film
about the making of the new record, complete with precious footage
of the Junkies behind the scenes.
The songs on Trinity Revisited are simply classics by now,
from the opening notes of "Mining For Gold" to the closing
strains of "Walking After Midnight." Margo Timmins'
voice is still as resonant and beautiful as it was when she was young,
her stark solo re-reading of "Mining For Gold" almost indistinguishable
from the original recording, except the phrasing shows a maturity
and comfort with the song that may have been lacking in 1988. "Misguided
Angel" has always been one of the finest Junkies' songs, and
having Natalie Merchant lend her wonderful voice to this unbelievable
song makes the song that much more resplendent. Hearing two of the
most beautiful female voices in modern music (and seeing two of the
most beautiful women in modern music on the DVD) blend on this amazing
song is phenomenal. Vic Chesnutt duets with Margo on "Blue Moon
Revisited" and he sounds great, breathy and somber and wonderful.
Jeff Bird wails on the harmonica as Ryan Adams joins in on
"I Don't Get It," playing guitar and lending his gruff backing
vocals. The beautifully somber "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"
receives a slower, more breathy treatment with amazing vocals courtesy
of Chesnutt and lovely falsetto vocals from Adams. A complete re-working
of "To Love Is To Bury," featuring Natalie Merchant on piano
and vocals and the inimitable Jeff Bird on fiddle is amazing, taking
one of the most overlooked tracks on the original album and breathing
new life into its very soul. Then Ryan Adams takes the lead on "200
More Miles," sounding better than he's sounded since Whiskeytown
disbanded.
Chesnutt does a wonderful job leading the band through "Dreaming
My Dreams With You" and harmonizing with Margo, before she takes
the lead again for an excellent jazzy reading of "Working On
A Building" that takes a turn into more sonic territory than
the original, while maintaining its somber beauty. The band continues
its sonic whirlwind as it segues into a blistering performance of
Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane," staying true to their re-interpretation,
but fleshing out the song with some wonderful jammy noisework. Margo
sounds wonderful on the song and seems to still enjoy singing it,
even after all these years. If Lou liked their version two decades
ago, he'll like this one even more. The band rolls through an eerie
version of "Postcard Blues," led mostly by Vic Chesnutt,
before winding up the session with a cool, relaxed swinging version
of "Walking After Midnight" that relieves the splendid tension
brought forth by "Postcard Blues." What a way to end an
evening!
There's no doubt that the best records in the history of the world
were made by folks sitting around a microphone in a good-sized room,
having fun, playing great songs and blending naturally. Trinity
Revisited may not claim the one microphone trick, but the magic
of the performances is evident. The energy is incredible as these
friends sit around and play these great songs, and watching the DVD
is a wonderful experience. The music is truly enhanced by the dark
magic of Trinity Church, and the directors do a tremendous job of
lighting the house to enhance the feeling of the music. Whether a
fan of the Junkies or not, this is an experience to be had… more
than once.
-Embo Blake
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