At the End of Paths Taken
At the End of Paths Taken | ||||
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Studio album by Cowboy Junkies | ||||
Released | April 9, 2007[1] | |||
Recorded | June–November, 2006 | |||
Genre | Alternative country | |||
Length | 49:15[1] | |||
Label | Latent, Zoë | |||
Producer | Michael Timmins | |||
Cowboy Junkies chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | (3.1/10) [2] |
PopMatters | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
At the End of Paths Taken is the tenth studio album by the Canadian alt-country band Cowboy Junkies, released in 2007.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Michael Timmins, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Brand New World" | 5:31 | |
2. | "Still Lost" | 4:45 | |
3. | "Cutting Board Blues" | 4:05 | |
4. | "Spiral Down" | 3:33 | |
5. | "My Little Basquiat" | Michael Timmins, Alan Anton | 3:51 |
6. | "Someday Soon" | 3:17 | |
7. | "Follower 2" | 6:18 | |
8. | "It Doesn't Really Matter Anyway" | Michael Timmins, Alan Anton | 4:42 |
9. | "Blue Eyed Saviour" | 2:37 | |
10. | "Mountain" (Narration by John A. Timmins) | Michael Timmins, Alan Anton | 7:07 |
11. | "My Only Guarantee" | 3:29 | |
Total length: | 49:15 |
Reception
Per PopMatters, the album's emphasis is on family. The musicians are at the point in their lives where their time is divided between their children and their aging parents. One example of At the End of Paths Taken showcasing family is by having the Timmins' father narrate a segment from his book on "Mountain".[3] Per No Depression, the album does not have a coherent style, with lilting ballads, junkyard clang, gloomy experimentalism, folk, and hymn-like music. Despite the disparate styles, the album is held together by the distinctive voice of Margo Timmins, and somehow the different styles feed off each other, making the album feel like a full and fated journey.[5] Per exclaim!, the album's theme is of slowly unravelling family ties. Margo's voice continues to be the centerpiece of the sound, but on this album it is augmented by the addition of strings to make the sound even more melancholy.[6]
Personnel
Cowboy Junkies
- Margo Timmins – vocals
- Michael Timmins – guitar, backing vocals
- Alan Anton – bass, percussion, keyboards
- Peter Timmins – drums, percussion, congas
Additional musicians[7][8]
- Jeff Bird – percussion, electronic mandolin
- Joby Baker – piano, keyboards, bass
- Henry Kucharczyk – digital kalimba, string arrangement & conducting
- Benjamine Bowman, Sandra Baron, Rebecca Vanderpost, Sarah Fraser-Raff – violin
- Amy Laing, Richard Armin – cello
- The Sara J. Ratzlaff / Madeleine Wiener Youth Choir – choir (track 11)
- John A.Timmins – narration (track 10) – read from his book I Don't Know Where I Am But I'm Making Good Time
Production[7][8]
- Michael Timmins – producer, engineer
- Peter Moore – mastering
- Ian Bodzasi – recorded by (strings)
- Jeff Wolpert – mixing (tracks 1, 3, 4, 7, 11)
- Joby Backer – supplemental recorded by, mixing (tracks 2, 5, 6, 8 – 10)
- Matt Evees – assistant
- David Houghton – cover concept, art direction
- Alice Phieu – art direction assist, cover concept
- Angus MacPherson – cover photo
References
- ^ a b c Jurek, Thom. "At the End of Paths Taken – Cowboy Junkies". AllMusic. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
- ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (April 24, 2007). "Cowboy Junkies: At the End of Paths Taken". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 11, 2007.
- ^ a b Gilstrap, Andrew (June 5, 2007). "The Cowboy Junkies: At the End of Paths Taken". PopMatters. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ^ Goddard, Simon (April 2007). "Cowboy Junkies – At the End of Paths Taken". Q (249): 117.
- ^ Blackstock, Peter (April 30, 2007). "Cowboy Junkies – At the End of Paths Taken". No Depression. Retrieved April 28, 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Schneider, Jason (May 23, 2007). "Cowboy Junkies – At the End of Paths Taken". exclaim!. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ^ a b "Cowboy Junkies – At the End of Paths Taken". Discogs. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- ^ a b "At the End of Paths Taken – CD Credits". Latent Recordings. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
External links
- "Cowboy Junkies – At the End of Paths Taken | List of Releases". Discogs. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- "At the End of Paths Taken | Track lyrics". JunkiesFan.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
- v
- t
- e
- Alan Anton
- Margo Timmins
- Michael Timmins
- Peter Timmins
- Whites Off Earth Now!!
- The Trinity Session
- The Caution Horses
- Black Eyed Man
- Pale Sun, Crescent Moon
- Lay It Down
- Miles from Our Home
- Open
- One Soul Now
- Early 21st Century Blues
- At the End of Paths Taken
- Trinity Revisited
- Renmin Park
- Demons
- Sing in My Meadow
- The Wilderness
- All That Reckoning
- Ghosts
- Songs of the Recollection
- Sharon
- Such Ferocious Beauty
- 200 More Miles: Live Performances 1985–1994
- Waltz Across America
- Open Road
- In the Time Before Llamas
- Long Journey Home
- Studio: Selected Studio Recordings 1986–1995
- Rarities, B-Sides and Slow, Sad Waltzes
- Best of the Cowboy Junkies
- The Radio One Sessions
- Platinum & Gold Collection
- The Nomad Series
- Notes Falling Slow
- Open Road
- Long Journey Home
- Trinity Revisited