This came out in 2001 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
It’s been a weird few years for Toronto’s Cowboy Junkies.
Their last couple of studio albums were ill-timed, ill-advised excursions into big-production pop that did little to widen their commercial appeal and only managed to alienate fans. Then they parted ways with their label Universal, released a collection of old B-sides and a live album on their own to buy some time — only to find they sold so well that Universal re-signed them to a distribution deal. Apparently taking the hint, the Junkies’ eighth release Open is a step back toward the narcotic roots minimalism of their early days. Michael Timmins’ guitars shimmer and glisten with darkly ambient feedback, the drums and bass dovetail into languidly supple grooves and singer Margo Timmins delivers her vocals in the hushed, haunted tones of a gothic heroine. In other words, everything new is old again.
