in a void...

In the true sequel/remake fashion - think of Meatloaf releasing “Bat Out Of Hell II” and “Bat III”, the Cowboy Junkies return to the scene of their greatest ‘crime’ with Trinity Revisited, an album and DVD that attempts to recreate the 1988, apparently legendary, Trinity Sessions album two decades later. Bolstered by guest vocalists, this remake is - to those not familiar with the original - a fairly unoriginal attempt to reset and reclaim the claim so that they can start again - akin to Hitchcock remaking “The Man Who Knew Too Much” (but without the same massive leap in ability that Hitchcock demonstrated between 1935 and 1956).

To me, whose never been a fan of the original, Trinity Revisited seems to be  a fairly redundant retread : Musically, the band occupy a slow, bluesy space that whilst undoubtedly gifted and able, fails to compel me to listen to this repeatedly, and the revisions of the record are merely, identikit re-recordings. The occasional guest vocalist appears but to no great effect except - it seems - to bring in a few more sales of their respective fans. The undoubtedly impressive atmosphere of the church, meanwhile sends fabulous acoustic qualities that suit the music well, but without an audience the music seems to exist within a vaccuum, a void. “Trinity Revisited” is by  no means a bad record, but seems aimed directly at existing fans of the band allowing the Junkies themselves to reclaim their legacy. Maybe it’s the idea of it that I find disagreeable : I would much have preferred the band to be moving forward with new material and a new vision.

This isn’t to say that “Trinity Revisited” is in any way a poor record as it most certainly isn’t, and has plenty of good things about it - the filmed DVD portion, the documentary, and the audio disc all have their place for fans of the band. And it will be an excellent addition to the canon that provides their most well-known record in a new frame - but it may fail to win any new converts.

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