Jim Cuddy – All In Time

 

Jim Cuddy – All In Time

By

Jesse E. Mullen

 

Say the name Blue Rodeo around Toronto, and you are bound to get nostalgic reactions. The Alt. Country band have been going strong for 37 years and counting. They have built up a massive cult following throughout Canada.

Heck, co-frontman Jim Cuddy was even granted an Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian music and culture. But what happens when Cuddy decides he wants to do a side project? Could it possibly measure up to his band work? And how will it affect the band?

Cuddy’s 1998 release All In Time answers all of this and more. Turns out it had little effect on Blue Rodeo, as they are still going strong 23 years later. Musically however things are much more interesting.

“Second Son” kicks off the proceedings with a gently picked acoustic guitar part, reminiscent of Son Volt’s “Windfall.” We are then joined by a full backing band including a fiddle. But once Cuddy’s skilled tenor comes in the song takes on another level.

The importance of Cuddy’s voice simply cannot be overstated. His music is firmly rooted in the alt. country genre, yet Cuddy adds elements of power pop to his performances. It’s easy to picture him singing with Alex Chilton of Big Star. 

When the chorus hits, it lyrically recalls The Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar.” By reprising the “just around midnight” hook, Cuddy is knowingly digging up a controversial piece of rock history. However, he is describing an innocent party scene rather than any nefarious acts.

The clever inversions of rock history continue on track two with “Whistler.” Musically, the song resembles American Beauty-era Grateful Dead. But whereas that album contained songs about travelling from American landmark-to-landmark, “Whistler” explicitly references British Columbia. 

Cuddy is lost in the woods near Whistler while camping. In a humorous twist, he has locked his clothes in his car with his keys – whilst naked. It’s the ways these details are shared that make Cuddy such a skilled songwriter. In the hands of a lesser songwriter, they could be distracting. 

But Cuddy expertly weaves details like these into the narrative. The listener wouldn’t be able to empathize with the situation as well without them. How else would we feel like we are lost in the woods?

“New Year’s Eve” is something else entirely. Ambient guitars, violins and keyboards open the first two minutes. It sounds more like solo Brian Eno or even neo-classical than a typical alt. country song. But then the band comes in slowly with gentle reverberated electric guitars and Cuddy’s sweet voice.

This time, Cuddy opts for a deeper sonorous tone as opposed to his typical high tenor. It’s extremely effective in conveying the story about lost love and Cuddy lying to himself that the relationship can be saved.

An arpeggiated electric guitar part by Colin Cripps, a Hammond organ solo, and harmonies by Michelle McAdorey send the track into an even more gorgeous place.

Elsewhere, we have another power pop gem in the title track. Cuddy’s voice is back in higher territory and the guitars are in full rock mode. When the chorus hits, they take on a stop-start rhythm which adds some grit and contrasts nicely with Cuddy’s sweet tone.

Jim Cuddy will forever be known as one half of the Blue Rodeo songwriting partnership. But that is only half the story. With All In Time, he has shown that he is just as comfortable going it alone.

WEA/1998