The biggest question mark about Robertson's solo debut, released 11 years after The Band called it quits, was: Could he sing? While with The Band, he deferred to Manuel, Helm and Danko. Essentially, the answer was: Well, singing's not his long suit, but his gruff, whispery pipes can carry a tune well enough to front an epic album. Rather than opt for his prior group's proto-Americana sonics, Robertson enlisted producer Daniel Lanois (who also co-produced U2's The Joshua Tree that same year) to bathe profound songs like "Fallen Angel" and "Broken Arrow" in lush, atmospheric soundscapes, which also had the benefit of further masking Robertson's vocal shortcomings.
This article appears in Sep 19-25, 2007.