(TeleSoul Records)

www.bluerodeo.com

Blue Rodeo may very well be the best band yet to catch the attention of the wider populace. That's a bold statement perhaps, but devotees can attest to the fact that it's all but indisputable. Despite ample fame amongst our neighbors to the north, they've been sadly forsaken in the lower 48, an inexplicable circumstance that lingers on despite a healthy string of albums dating back some 20 years... any one of which merits a thorough listen. Accomplished in the art of sturdy songcraft and seamless delivery, their music is tailor made for the masses, as urgent and incisive as Springsteen, Mellencamp or Fogerty and as embracing as Poco, the Eagles, CSNY or any member of that clan individually.

Offering up the evidence once again with their richly hewn The Things We Left Behind -- a double album effort that follows closely on the heels of 2008's self-titled live CD/DVD -- it continues to beg the question of how Blue Rodeo can still continue to surpass themselves.  At very least, it demonstrates their wellspring of indelible melodies seemingly never runs dry.  From the idyllic photos that grace its cover and inner sleeves to the heartfelt, heartland trappings that grace each of its 16 songs, it's an album that exudes grace, eloquence and determination. Whether evoking dewy-eyed sentiment on aching, yearning ballads like "You Said," "Don't Let the Darkness in Your Head," or "Gossip" or driving at full throttle via the hook-laden press of "Waiting for the World," "Never Look Back" or "Candice," it simply never fails to deliver.  Which makes the stunning The Things We Left Behind not only a record that connects instantly and emphatically, but one that's essential for anyone who needs a reminder of what makes great rock ‘n' roll so fearlessly compelling in the first place.

Standout Tracks: "Waiting for the World," "Never Look Back," "You Said" LEE ZIMMERMAN