Three Timmins siblings, along with original bassist Alan Anton, have been making music as the Cowboy Junkies for more than 20 years. It seems ironic, then, that the dissolution and corruption of family relationships is at the heart of At the End of Paths Taken. On the last song, inspired in part by Philip Larkin’s poem “This Be The Verse,” Margo Timmins declares, “My only guarantee: I will fuck you up,” while a children’s choir lulls the song to its end. Relying on a more expansive sound, with some of the tracks featuring string arrangements, the album nevertheless fails to capture the beauty and intensity of many of their early albums. While an improvement over their last outing—a hodgepodge of disparate covers and two originals—this record will appease the casual listener but leave Junkies fans thirsting for more.
Cowboy Junkies
