Blue Rodeo - Blue Rodeo: 1985-1994 (2025)

Canada's most popular roots rock band, Blue Rodeo grew into a veritable institution in their home country, debuting in the mid-'80s and still recording and touring in the 2020s. Their sound is a flavorful blend of country, folk, and rock, informed by Americana touchstones like Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, and the Band as well as the sterling pop songcraft of the Beatles (the latter a crucial influence for guitarist and co-founder Jim Cuddy, which shone through on their 1990 breakthrough album Casino). As the alt-country and No Depression scenes began to take hold, they won a new audience who took to the scrappy yet artful sound of 1994's Five Days in July and 1997's Tremolo, though the group's fundamental sound changed very little. Under the guidance of Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, Blue Rodeo earned a reputation for consistent quality on-stage and in the studio, and if the tone of 2021's Many a Mile showed maturity was buffing off some of their edges, their strength as songwriters remained a constant.