Cowboy Junkies – At The End Of Paths Taken

• 17th Apr 2008

When we were at school we learned about nominatives, comparatives and superlatives. Here’s a new one: dull, duller, Canadian. Toronto quartet Cowboy Junkies have apparently been around for 20 years, yet they still struggle to provide a captivating tune on this, their eleventh studio album.

At the End of Paths Taken has its moments, with tracks like Follower 2 threatening to launch into a grandiose spectacle. However, like much of the album, expectations are left unfulfilled as the band drift towards mediocrity by repeating the ‘safe’ sound that has served them only moderately well throughout their career.

If there was ever a sign that a band should pack it in, then My Little Basquiat is it. With a few notable exceptions, songs about your children rarely work, and this is no Hey Jude. At least it is conspicuous for straying from the abject boredom generated by the rest of the album.
Unless you enjoy paying to be lulled to sleep – and admittedly this is a cheaper alternative to sleeping pills – then avoid At the End of Paths Taken at all costs.