Review: Bruce Cockburn ‘O Sun O Moon’

Review: Bruce Cockburn ‘O Sun O Moon’

By Mike O’Cull

Canadian songwriting hero Bruce Cockburn brings the brilliance once again on his latest record O Son O Moon.

The new set comes out May 12th, 2023 on True North Records and is the 35th album Cockburn has made. His close friend Colin Linden produced and played guitar. The rest of the mighty studio band assembled for this outing features keyboardist Janice Powers, drummers Gary Craig and Chris Brown, accordionist Jeff Taylor, violinist Jenny Scheinman, and multi-instrumentalist Jim Hoke. Guest vocalists Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller make appearances, as do Allison Russell, Sarah Jarosz, and Ann and Regina McCrary, the daughters of gospel legend Reverend Samuel McCrary. Putting this much talent in a studio with Cockburn could only yield top-tier recordings and O Son O Moon doesn’t disappoint on any level.

77-year-old Bruce Cockburn is a songwriter’s songwriter by any measure you’d care to use. He’s been releasing albums full of masterful guitar work and songcraft since 1970 and has been praised for his social activism and humanist lyrics and views. He has earned 13 JUNO awards, a Governor’s General Performing Arts Award, been made an Officer of the Order of Canada, and been inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. His remarkable style incorporates folk, jazz, rock, and world influences and his unique mix of politics, spirituality, and musical diversity has made him a legend in the truest sense. He remains iconoclastic and passionate even now and O Son O Moon is proof-positive that he still has a fire in his belly.

O Son O Moon is a largely acoustic effort that uses tone, texture, and lyricism to leave a mark on anyone who hears it. The opening track “On A Roll” begins with a snarling resonator guitar riff that leads into a moody train-beat pocket from the band. Cockburn’s low-toned vocals convey lyrics about the passage of time and being ok despite all that’s happened. Shawn Colvin graces the song with vocal goodness, as do Ann and Regina McCrary. It’s a laidback hip-shaker that will get you perked-up and listening.

“Orders” is a spiritual and emotional masterpiece that delivers a tough message based on the new commandment of John 13:34. Cockburn drops a street-level interpretation of the reality of what the task of loving each other looks and feels like in 2023. Cockburn drops a lyrical hammer with verses like this:

The cynic and the crooked priest
The woman wise, the sullen beast
The enemy outside the gate
The friend who leaves it all to fate
The drunk who tags the bathroom stall
The proud boy headed for his fall
The list is long — as I recall
Our orders said to love them all

BC has lost none of the directness of his younger, “If I Had A Rocket Launcher” days and is unafraid to confront you with the truth as he sees it. “Orders” will likely hit you where you live and that’s the whole point of it. Spin it to hear art, spirituality, and politics become one and the same as only Cockburn can do.

“On A Roll”

 
The delicate waltz “Into The Now” has a lovely Americana vibe and documents feelings of deep oneness and being fully present for and aware of the parts of life that matter most. It’s a hushed, powerful song that had to come from someone with life experience enough to see its big picture.

“To Keep The World We Know” is a driving folk/rock cut that uses a sweet groove to speak on climate change and the seemingly-constant fires and mudslides it brings. The musical textures of dulcimer, mandolin, and 12-string guitar keep the arrangement interesting, which helps propel Cockburn’s all-too-relevant lyrics.

O Son O Moon is loaded with one stellar moment after another that will each make you listen and think. Bruce Cockburn is a talent for the ages and has always had The Gift. Listen to these songs and prepare to be moved. Highly recommended.

Bruce Cockburn website