MOJO Review for Garth Hudson’s A Canadian Celebration of The Band

“The Band 4/5ths Canadian and this tribute by fellow citizens Neil Young, Bruce Cockburn, the Cowboy Junkies, country-rockers like Blue Rodeo and The Sadies and others was first released a decade ago. Their genius keyboardist Garth Hudson brings his wild inventiveness and founding-member cred to every cut. The music carries even more gravitas with time, a testament not only to The Band, but particularly to their controversial primary songwriter Robbie Robertson, whose contributions to rock history are immeasurable.

Gems include Mary Margaret O’Hara’s harrowing portrait of a woman unhinged by love in her extraordinary version of deep cut Out Of The Blue. And Great Big Sea’s Pogues-esque Knockin’ Lost John unearths the old, weird Canada inherent in this other lesser-known Robertson nugget. Unsurprisingly, Neil lights up Dylan/Rick Danko’s This Wheel On Fire.”

Michael Simmons