Anything Anytime Anywhere: Singles 1979-2002
Over a recording career that spans three decades, Canada's Bruce  Cockburn has established himself as a passionate social advocate, a deft  guitarist, and an adventurous musical spirit. Though nobody would characterize  him as a singles artist, this collection of tracks originally earmarked for (and  often ignored by) radio presents his often earnest, occasionally elliptical song  craft at its most accessible. Cockburn's rhythmic insistence and airy  arrangements--punctuated by jazzy violin and saxophone--redeem "If I Had a  Rocket Launcher" and "A Dream Like Mine" as more than sloganeering, though the  stridency of "Call It Democracy" belabors the message at the expense of the  music. Bookended by two new cuts, this anthology anticipates a reissue series of  Cockburn's catalog through his new association with Rounder Records.--Don  McLeese