Excerpts from Reviews of
Songs of the Iron Trail
The album is strong throughout ... simply great listening and worth any difficulty obtaining it in the U.S. (Sing Out!)
Songs of the Iron Trail is, quite simply, a superb album ... an historical and musical gold-mine. Whatever your musical persuasion, you'll love it (Mariposa Notes)
I recommend this album without reservation (Harbour Folk Society: Halifax)
There isn't a weak cut; all are good songs played well (Corvallis Folklore Society Bulletin: Corvallis, Oregon)
Barry and Tim, 2005. Photo by Dave Foster
If these songs ("CPR Line" and "Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill") don't move you to join in on a chorus, it could be that your steam is shot. ... Tim Rogers and Barry Luft achieved what they set out to do with this project: "to celebrate in song ... the railway that has shaped our lives and the history of our country in extraordinary ways." (Guild Gazette: Regina)
The album is crafted with great care, the songs varying from tongue-in-cheek humour, to train wrecks, to don't-marry-him-he's-just-a-good-for-nothing-railroad-man. Throughout, the instrumental accompaniment (performed on a wonderful variety of instruments) is tasteful and appropriate, from rambunctious clawhammer banjo on "The Hudson Bay Line," to mournful whistles on "Wreck of the Evening Mail." (Harbour Folk Society: Halifax)
If there's such a thing as the "classic Canadian railway song," "Hobo's Song to the Mounties" would surely qualify (Guild Gazette: Regina)
Barry and Tim's vocals make the music come alive with feeling. Their voices fit the material very effectively and Grit Laskin only furthers their efforts with some gripping harmonies, especially on "Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill." The instrumental work is delightful and diversified. Tim Rogers's dulcimer and Grit Laskin's Northumbrian pipes give the piece depth and dimension, as does Barry's autoharp on "C.P.R. Line." Each and every song begs to be played over and over, and never is the material redundant or boring. ... an outstanding historically-oriented musical experience, consisting of traditional folksongs which praise one of our great Canadian endeavours-the railroad. (Mariposa Notes)
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