Cowboy Junkies Find Edge With Revitalized Approach

The Cowboy Junkies once suffered from being too good, from being a fully realized creation when they first emerged in 1988 with a beautiful, haunted mix of Hank Williams and Lou Reed. The only problem: Where do they go from here?

At the Wiltern Theatre on Friday, leader-guitarist Michael Timmins suggested the best place might be back to the edge. Hunched over his guitar, Timmins brought new energy to his music with playing that often recalled the tense, fragmented sound of fellow Canadian Neil Young.

It’s a taste of danger the band somehow lost after its first brush with popular success, when the Junkies began to focus more on the folk elements of their sound. At the Wiltern, the Junkies were more Velvet Underground than John Gorka. Gliding across this renewed musical energy was singer Margo Timmins, whose voice remains an alluring, low whisper, expressive even when lyrics are lost in the band’s overall sonic ooze. Swaying slightly behind her mike stand, she was a genuinely warm host.

The night’s best moments came with their oldest and newest material, including songs from the new “Lay It Down” album. The forlorn country blues of “Lonely Sinking Feeling” and other new songs demonstrate that the Junkies continue to be a creative force.

Opening the show was Athens, Ga., singer-songwriter Vic Chestnutt, whose songs make up the material for the upcoming “Sweet Relief II” album, designed to raise funds for ailing musicians without health insurance. Sitting alone onstage with his guitar, Chestnutt made music that was smart and outwardly unassuming.