20 Signs of Life From 2003

Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn has been steadily producing intelligent folk music for 33 years by staying open to the idea that life is a renewable resource. Which doesn’t make Cockburn particularly optimistic on this year’s, You’ve Never Seen Everything, at times a difficult look at “All Our Dark Tomorrows.” The blighted injustice of “Trickle Down” economics, and memories of human atrocities in “Postcards From Cambodia,” recall Cockburn’s '80s political treatises, like “Call it Democracy.” Musically, Seen Everything, like '99’s Breakfast in New Orleans explores the many strengths of Cockburn’s work: his excellent guitar playing, his smart sense of melody, a tendency toward eclecticism and an interest in exploring folk music's interface with world music, jazz and rock. Cockburn is working again with Colin Linden, but the stand-out feature is the return of violinist Hugh Marsh, who played a significant role in Cockburn's best discs from the '80s. Also important is Cockburn's literate poetry, a humanizing mix of real world experience and metaphysical interests. It’s no surprise that the last word of the last song (“Messenger Wind”) is “hope”— Cockburn's music always pointed in that direction.