In this haunting hymn to fallen stars, Fred Eaglesmith does more than convey his own sorrow for the deaths of the artists at the song's focus; he also expresses our great collective loss that such spectacular talents and unique voices could be stilled forever by drugs and alcohol. Still, perhaps Eaglesmith's deeper accomplishment is to acknowledge both the continuing appeal of drugs and alcohol and the toll they extract in countless lives, without pretending (either to himself or to his audience) to have all the answers. Sometimes, it is enough to mourn, Eaglesmith reminds us, and to wonder what might have been-and still could be.
11 сен 2024
