Bruce Cockburn
Lovers in a Dangerous Time
Maybe the Poet
Nicaragua
Dust and Diesel
Re-Release Date: 11/12/1991
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Like fellow Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Cockburn (pronounced "coe-burn") began his career in a folky vein. However, while Lightfoot has never strayed far from that path, Cockburn had turned to a more rock oriented sound by 1978's Further Adventures Of. And by the release of Stealing Fire in 1984, his lyrics had become much more political.Perhaps his strongest political statement is made in the angry lyrics of "If I Had a Rocket Launcher": "Here comes the helicopter--second time today/Everybody scatters and hopes it goes away/How many kids they've murdered only God can say/If I had a rocket launcher, I'd make somebody pay."And his anger was fuelled by his travels to see first-hand the suffering inflicted by the action (or inaction) of the United States in the countries of Central America. Like a rock 'n' roll Martin Luther, Cockburn stands for those who cannot stand for themselves and provides a voice for the injustices he sees. Some critics may see his posturing as nothing more than opportunistic, left-wing political ravings, but it's difficult not to see Cockburn's sincerity. And if fifteen years earlier the Beatles announced to the world that "all you need is love," maybe Cockburn is only being realistic in that all you really need is a rocket launcher.In "Nicaragua" Cockburn laments the sorrow caused by the civil war that tore apart a country: "For every scar on a wall/There's a hole in someone's heart/Where a loved one's memory lives."Cockburn's travels also exposed him to a broader range of musical styles, and Latin elements are sprinkled throughout the tracks on this CD, including Dust and Diesel where Cockburn uses imagery like ".45 strapped over cotton print dress" and "guitars and rifles in blue moonlight" to remind us of how war has become a constant in the every-day life of the peasants of third world countries.Perhaps my favorite line comes from "Lovers in a Dangerous Time,": "But nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight/Got to kick at the darkness til it bleeds daylight"--a lyric U2 borrowed (and credited to Cockburn) for "God Part II" (dedicated to John Lennon) on Rattle and Hum.In addition to being a gifted songwriter, Cockburn is an excellent guitarist as well. Spanning a 30-year career and still going strong, Cockburn has released many excellent albums. This is one of his best. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"