XRAY SIERRA
Tom Cochrane

Fortunately for his fans, Tom Cochrane can write songs a lot better than he can land a float plane.
Unscathed after his little miscalculation last year (his plane hit the beach and flipped), Canada's "other" heartland rocker is back with his best album since Mad, Mad World. On the surface, it's a pleasantly unremarkable collection. Cochrane paints an earthy, acoustic sound tinged with a contemporary edge. It's hip. It's now. It's funky. And everyone's doing it. Behind the slick production, however, lurks elegantly crafted pop songs remarkable for their maturity and sophistication. In contrast to Cochrane's previous two records, there's a sense of exuberance throughout, marked by clever wordplay and Cochrane's diamond-in-the-rough voice. The whole album is like the diary of a man who just got over a bad case of the blahs - and he couldn't be happier.
The album opens with a great pair: the ska groove of I Wonder and Stonecutter's Arms, a song about a metaphorical haven for the much-maligned male. Heartbreak Girl and This is the World are classic Cochrane rock anthems, while the haunting Piece of Your Soul reveals his mellow side is just as potent.
This album is a refreshing wake-up call to anyone who had written off Tom Cochrane as the second fiddle to Bryan Adams. The tables are turning.