Stealing Fire (Deluxe Edition)

Canadian folk singer Bruce Cockburn made the transition to the electronically fueled '80s with eloquence, improving his accessibility while mining his leftist political views for subject material. Cockburn was rewarded with the hit single "If I Had a Rocket Launcher," which remains one of his most affecting tracks. "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" makes a similar impact, providing a beat to dance to while the lyrics mine the emotions of discussing nuclear war. A trip to Central America prompted Cockburn to write tunes with a world music feel and a strong political consciousness. "Maybe the Poet" sounds positively prescient in the new century. "Nicaragua" works as emotive journalism, without forgetting that music is Cockburn's metier. "Dust and Diesel" plays like a spy novel. "Peggy's Kitchen Wall" finds warmth in an eerie moment where gun violence is felt so casually when a neighbor's clearly in distress. The deluxe edition includes two bonus cuts (the reggae-tinged "Yanqui Go Home" and the night-riding funk piece "Call It the Sundance") that bolster the album's classic status.