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Waxed - Record Review from Issue #68 Mar-Apr 2007

Bob Egan

The Glorious Decline (Universal Music Canada)

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A side-man best known for his work with Wilco and Blue Rodeo, Bob Egan is a talented vagabond, a roots-rock virtuoso unafraid to cross borders and genres. The Glorious Decline, Egan’s third solo release, is an impressive collection of atmospheric country and folk, imbibed with weary narratives and suspicious characters. “An Airport Bar On Christmas Day” opens the proceedings with a literate diatribe on loneliness. Sounding like Leonard Cohen fronting a bluegrass band on quaaludes, Egan recounts a place where “passengers walk on by with no time to listen to a stranger’s alibi.” The mood becomes increasingly brighter on “Spalding’s Lament” and “Learn To Love Again”, as Egan’s voice alternates between an eerie croak and a more sublime whisper. The Glorious Decline reflects the best tendencies of both of Egan’s higher-profile associations, presenting a songwriter and performer of unusual clarity and vision.

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Originally Featured in Issue #68 Mar-Apr 2007

Cover of Issue #68 Mar-Apr 2007

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