Sometimes you have a little; sometimes you have a lot. Rarely doth your cup runneth over and flow freely all the way to the ocean. Unless you’re Jim Cuddy, now in his fourth decade of being adored by tasteful Canadian music lovers as a founding member of Blue Rodeo, but blessed with far more talent than can be contained in one vessel, even one as massive as that treasured band. Hence, in 1999 Cuddy commenced a solo career, releasing his first of five albums to date.
The fact his 2019 album, Countrywide Soul, was recorded in under four days with Blue Rodeo’s Bazil Donovan and Colin Cripps and that concerts feature Cuddy’s solo songs with a smattering of Blue Rodeo classics, hints at the smooth yet unglossy music Cuddy creates. Generously seasoned with fiddle, steel, and space, the music leaves room for Cuddy’s vocals to shine.
Hearing Cuddy’s voice is like snuggling into your favourite sheets, secure and blissful as you replay magic moments from weddings, birthdays, open air concerts and mountain miles of highway shared with that voice on the radio.
Biography by Mary-Lynn Wardle
