TOM COCHRANE
Ragged Ass Road **** (out of five)

Four years after Life Is A Highway, Ragged Ass Road has Tom Cochrane pondering the life-as-journey metaphor once again, this time on a less banal side of the path. On the long-awaited follow-up to his international hit Mad Mad World, Cochrane deliberately internalizes the reflective sentiments of that album. The result is a darker and more personal album that supplies a healthy supply of familiar Cochrane anthems (I Wish You Well, Best Waste Of Time), complete with pained belting and simple harmonica tooting. Slick, abrasive guitar compliments Cochrane's trademark rasp (guitarist Bill Bell is backed up by Rush's Alex Lifeson on Just Scream, Crawl, and Will Of The Gun) while mandolin, acoustic guitar and deep, Hammond-like keyboards flesh out the majority of the tunes. Though three of the strongest songs, Flowers In The Concrete, Will Of The Gun and Best Waste Of Time were penned by songwriter Annette Ducharme, the disc serves as a sincere document of Cochrane's post-stardom disillusionment and how it's affected his life. By the aptly titled closer, Song Before I Leave, you feel as if you've just heard a relationship collapse. Ragged Ass Road represents Cochrane's route to recovery. - Kieran Grant