Jim Cuddy Kicks Off CedarCreek's 10th Summer Concert Series

Canadian Country Rock singer/songwriter Jim Cuddy returned to CedarCreek last night to kick off their 10th annual Summer Concert Series. Cuddy has done this gig before, and interacted with the crowd with the aplomb of the massively experienced live performer that he is.

One of the original members of Blue Rodeo, Cuddy has also released a number of solo albums, including the recent Skyscraper Soul. He selected tunes from across his entire career last night, with immediate delight from the audience as favorites were played by Cuddy and his trio.

While the Jim Cuddy band is usually a little bigger, the trio of Cuddy, guitarist Colin Cripps and violinist Anne Lindsay pulled an awful lot of music from 3 wooden boxes and 16 strings. Cripps and Lindsay are as talented on their instruments as Cuddy is with his lyrics and his heartfelt devlivery. At no time during the show did anyone notice the absence of anything, it was simply an appreciation of what was. And what was was an energetic, dynamic, and nuanced presentation of both classic and new Cuddy penned tunes that covered the entire gamut of the human experience.

Cuddy writes so many songs that other writers wish came from their pens and has been and is regarded as one the best in a very talented field of Canadian songwriters. As he usually does, he combined an enviable body of work with a natural stage presence to take his crowd with him on a journey through all that life offers while creating a night that all in attendance seemed to enjoy to the utmost.

This was a night that honestly approached perfection. Beautiful setting, great songwriter, gifted musicians, and an audience open and receptive. Simply have nothing but positives to say about this show. Cuddy delivered another shared experience that just plain felt good. Real good.