The remote Rocky Mountain cabin that Corb Lund selected as
the location to write the material for his latest album was an inspirational
choice as the creative fever generated has evolved into yet another fine
collection of songs that should cement his position as one of the leading
lights of Canadian country music. The Albertan balladeer has maximised his
wonderful ability of mixing catchy choruses and quirky lyrics with a range of
musical styles to tackle a host of contrasting subjects, all supported by a backdrop
of the west and its wide expanse.
The excellent fourth track ‘September’ showcases the tender side of Lund’s lyrical qualities
where a beautiful western feel to a sound, evoking images of the Rocky Mountains,
supports a longing for a love trapped between the rural west and the big city
east. Not surprisingly this outstanding track has already been highlighted for
further promotion with a single release. Lund returns to this slower style
later on the album with the steel accompanied sad regretful reflective number ‘One Left In The Chamber’. In contrast,
Lund is also capable of creating a fine rock n’ roll/rockabilly sound and the
album contains two tracks that expertly demonstrate this. ‘Mein Deutsches Motorrad’ celebrates a passion for German motorcycles,
as per the translation, while ‘The
Gothest Girl I Can’ sees Lund use a driving bass to hark back to his punk
roots.
The rural Alberta background of Lund comes to the fore with
the western swing influenced ‘Cows Around’
while an album of his wouldn’t be complete without some reference to those
custodians of the west with ‘(You Ain’t A
Cowboy) If You Ain’t Been Bucked Off’ supplying the subject content on this
release. The western package is almost complete with the yodelling introduction
and interludes added to the distinctly titled ‘Priceless Antique Pistol Shoots Startled Owner’.
That other essential ingredient of a country record also
makes its appearance in a couple of tracks. ‘Drink
It Like You Mean It’ is a conventional but still enjoyable traditional
drinking song while ‘Pour ‘Em Kinda Strong’ concludes the album in
an evocative aggressive style laced with sad overtures.
Those fortunate enough to catch Corb Lund on his very brief
visit to the UK at the end of June would have had the privilege of a live
preview of this excellent bunch of songs. However the rest of us at least can
comfort ourselves with repeated listens on our various musical devices while we
wait, hopefully, for a more comprehensive future visit to give this record the
airing it deserves.
