I can respect any album whose entire recording is predicated on a lie.
In 1988, when the Cowboy Junkies prepared to record the follow up to Whites Off Earth Now!!, they enlisted Peter Moore to produce. The band was determined to use a one microphone setup for the recording and Moore suggested they use the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto. The historic church could provide the amazing reverb Moore wanted, but he was worried that they wouldn’t allow them to use the facility. So he convinced church officials that the session would be for the taping of a Christmas special from The Timmins Family Singers.
Moore and the Cowboy Junkies got permission, and with the exception of one acapella vocal track, completed the now-classic album in a single day. The Trinity Session (along with Lone Justice’s first two albums) was my introduction to the genre that would become Americana. The songwriting of brother/sister combo Michael and Margo Timmins combined with ethereal and haunting interpretations of classics such as the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane” and Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, make for a deep, reflective experience.
For me, the standout track on the album is “Misguided Angel”. The original composition succeeds in conveying the difficulty of justifying a relationship that family and friends don’t approve of or understand. Dark and forlorn, the songs accentuated by Margo Timmins’ fragile, angelic voice rising through the rafters of an empty sanctuary absolutely make The Trinity Session required listening.