Cowboy Junkies - Demons (Latent)

James Victor Chesnutt was an American original. He was the modern day Dylan. The accident that confined him to a wheelchair gave him a unique prism to see the world through and enabled him to relate through gripping, emotionally wrenching songs. It also caused him a great amount of pain and sadness that ultimately led to his death on Christmas Day 2009.

Alt-folk rock contemporaries, Cowboy Junkies obviously held Chesnutt in high enough esteem to do this entire cover album of his songs. With Demons, they don’t quite get across the desperation of Chesnutt’s songs, but how can you without the man himself singing? That being said, anyone who has listened to Chesnutt has to acknowledge, like Dylan, that the songs are great but occasionally a difficult listen due to his somewhat grating voice. While capable of ripping the heart out of your chest, Chesnutt’s voice could also wear on you. Margo Timmins’s voice is more palatable and still very soulful. What the Junkies have done is make the compositions more listener-friendly, not in the cheesy “alternative” band-of-the-moment way that the otherwise well-intentioned Sweet Relief II tribute album did.

The shining highlight of the album comes early with “Flirted With You All My Life”, a song written specifically about Chesnutt’s numerous suicide attempts from his second-to-last album, At The Cut. The way it is performed here, however, the message becomes a triumph over the near-death experiences. That is the outlying message throughout, really. While Chesnutt’s songs were sad and even funny, Cowboy Junkies interpretations offer hope and reverence. The other two cuts from At The Cut are very good as well. Fans of Chesnutt’s Is The Actor Happy? are sure to be happy as the album is well-represented. My only qualm in this otherwise good cross section of Chesnutt’s discography is the ignored final album, Skitter On Take-Off. However, if the goal was to make these songs sound more hopeful, they would have had their hands full there as the album was maybe too morose to be brightened.

The Demons digital download is available here now with the CD/vinyl due out in February. There is also an extra EP that is worth getting for the excellent renditions of “Guilty By Association,” and “Forthright,”.