Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

20 years ago Bruce Cockburn visited Central America for the first time and what he saw provoked a lot of songs on 'Stealing Fire' where his righteous indignation pours out into classics like "Lovers In A Dangerous Time" and the pithy, wonderful, descriptive "Dust And Diesel". There is the romance of "Sahara Gold" and the gospel inspiration of "To Raise The Morning Star" and the most notorious of the set's songs "If I Had A Rocket Launcher". Written after visiting a refugee which had recently been attacked by the US backed Guatemalan army, the song describes the raw horror of such actions as Cockburn rails against the system that makes such events happen. 20 years on, the passion of the songs captured here still feel sadly relevant.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.