Rush has always excelled in wrapping down-and-out characters into subversively peppy arrangements, but here the individual dramas that unfold are the true stars of the show, even though Rush’s longtime band is spot-on throughout the record’s 11 cuts. In the case of “Burn it Down,” only a man with a wealth of experience, both positive and negative, could convincingly sing, “Sometimes love and anger just go together/that’s when you can’t let indifference get the final word.” Rush’s writing avoids all easy exits in order to cut into the truthful core of the story he’s telling in each tune. Turns out, honesty is the best policy.
