CD Odyssey Disc 1918: Corb Lund

After four days on holiday with my lovely wife visiting friends, shopping and generally having a great time, returning to work today was a bit of an adjustment. Fortunately there is always music, and something to say about it.

Disc 1918 is…Songs My Friends Wrote

Artist: Corb Lund

Year of Release: 2022

What’s up with the Cover? A cartoon depiction of Corb Lund and all the artists he covers on this album.

Usually at this time I make a joke or engage in a whimsical fantasy inspired by the cover art, but here I am just inspired by great friendship and love as depicted here. So no jokes, just that warm glow of looking at all these friends and being reminded of all the great ones I have as well.

How I Came To Know It: I just saw it sitting there in the record store and, recognizing a few of the songs, I became intrigued at how they would sound performed by Corb Lund. Intrigued enough to buy it, in fact.

How It Stacks Up: I have ten other studio albums by Corb Lund, but I have a bit of common law to rate – but not rank – albums where artists do just cover songs. I could break this rule at any time, of course. But not today.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

Corb Lund is a likeable fellow to begin with, and the idea that he would take time out of the pandemic to record a bunch of songs by people he admires makes this record particularly easy to love. So, as much as the album cover had given me the warm feelies, the album’s premise had me even more predisposed to the amicable.

For those who aren’t familiar with Corb Lund, he’s a Canadian folk/country singer well known for spinning fine tales and free and easy melodies. He isn’t a vocal powerhouse, but he knows how to use his voice (and lyrics) to tell great stories. I was keen to see what he’d be like with someone else’s words and music coming out of him.

Turns out he does a mighty fine job of it indeed, and if you like the light hurt and natural mosey of Lund’s delivery then you’re going to like this experience just fine.

The record starts with a Hayes Carll song (“Highway 87”) one of two Lund does with his occasional collaborator (the other being “Little Rock”). These are both solid renditions, but don’t add a lot to the songs that is different from the originals. Also, I enjoy Hayes Carll’s voice as much as Corb Lund’s, so I didn’t feel like I was getting a new way of seeing a song I already knew.

Similarly, the two Ian Tyson covers were OK, but not a major shift from the Tyson originals. That was four of ten songs that were all solid, but that had me wishing for more.

Thankfully, more was very much to be found in the deeper cuts, starting with the inspired Geoff Berner song, “That’s What Keeps The Rent Down, Baby”. Berner’s song is a wry and socially aware tale of the impacts of a neighbourhood’s less savoury features on property values. Lund’s version has a great swing to it, and his vocals are a level above Berner’s, elevating the song and story alike.

It is a testament to Lund’s vocal talents that every one of these covers will have you swearing he wrote it if you didn’t know better. He’s got an imitable style that draws you in, and while he doesn’t range through multiple octaves, he sings with an effortless and engaging tone that just makes you believe him.

For example, you may prefer the more nasal warble of Fred Eaglesmith’s original for “Spookin’ the Horses” and that’s an honourable choice. I like it too, and extra points to Eaglesmith for writing the song, which is a masterclass in storytelling. For all that, I just found myself loving the earthier, fireside troubadour quality that Corb Lund brings to the song even more. He makes it his own, which is the sign of every great cover ever.

Lund is also naturally funny when he wants to be, which is helpful on the jumpy and very Canadian “Big American Headliner.” The song, written by Mike Plume, captures the dream held by most small Canadian artist at one time or another: to have a hit across the border. It is tongue-in-self-deprecating-cheek with a hint of painful truth, turning the anxiety of “are we ever gonna make it?” into a story of success (limited though it may be) on its own terms.

Just before sitting down to write this review I took a crash course in all of the original songs, which I am sure Corb would’ve wanted. He didn’t make this record to take away from his fellow songwriters – he made it to celebrate them.

I already knew half the songs, but I discovered the other half, and that was a big part of the fun. I didn’t love every song Lund curates here, nor did I find every original artist inspire me to dig deeper, but the journey was great, and there was plenty to recommend, delivered in a way that more often than not showcased the material in its best light.

Best tracks: That’s What Keeps the Rent Down Baby, Blue Wing, Spookin’ The Horses, Big American Headliner

CD Odyssey Disc 1786: Corb Lund

This review has bonus “live event” coverage following. So if you like to read a concert review from the tour supporting this record, you’ll find it immediately following the more traditional album review.

Or for those who have been with me for a while…the usual.

Disc 1786 is…Corb Lund

Artist: El Viejo

Year of Release: 2024

What’s up with the Cover? A saddle without a horse. The album is called “El Viejo” which is a reference to Ian Tyson, Canadian singer and friend and mentor to Lund, who died recently. I like to see the missing horse as illustrative of the loss of Ian Tyson, but I didn’t read that anywhere, so I could be wrong.

Either way, I’m a fan of a simple cover like this, and it looks even cooler in black and white.

How I Came To Know It: I’ve been a Corb Lund fan for a long time now, so this was just me buying his latest.

How It Stacks Up: I have ten Corb Lund studio albums plus another album where does covers of other artists. So 11 albums total. Of all of those, “El Viejo” comes in at #8, but don’t judge it to harshly – there are lots of great Corb Lund records.

Ratings: 3 stars

Corb Lund is one of those artists that has figured out what he does best and is content to sit in the centre of that wheelhouse and do more of it. This is not criticism. If anything it means you can count on a Corb Lund giving you more of what you already like about him.

Such is the case with “El Viejo” which has Lund inhabiting all manner of blue-collar heroes. He starts out with gamblers, but before you know it he’s moved on to MMA fighters, low level villains, traveling singers and that old Corb standard; horse soldiers.

Lund isn’t a vocal gymnast. He doesn’t have a four-octave range that allows him to belt it out and make you feel the feels. Instead he relies on skillful wordsmithing, and a great talent for phrasing and delivery that punctuates every punchline or emotional moment in a song. Lund’s vocals have a lovely mid-range bit of grit that makes you want to pay attention. He is the guy at the table that always has the best stories, and his command of his audience is always easy and natural.

After a couple of solid songs about gambling (“The Card Players”, “I Had It All”) and a bit of ranchin’ and bull-riding (“Was Fort Worth Worth It?”) Lund takes on a new topic – MMA fighters - with “Out on a Win”.

“Out on a Win” is one of the record’s best songs, as Lund fully digs into the MMA world, with old school references to the Gracie family, and a bunch of other references that if you are into the sport, you’ll love to hear (I am not into the sport, but still picked up about half of it). But it isn’t all these references that makes the song great – that’s just scenery. It is Lund capturing the feeling of the aging fighter, coming to the realization he hasn’t made the big time and at this stage off his career, it is not happening. His dream gone, he’s negotiated down to one last wish – that his final fight is a win. You get the sense he will be denied even this but like all of Corb Lund’s characters, you root for him all the same.

The album’s title track is an homage to Corb Lund’s mentor and friend, the recently passed Ian Tyson. Melodically, it is one of the strongest tunes on the record, and a fitting homage to a titan in Corb Lund’s life.

While thoughtful lyrics are Lund’s bread and butter there are a couple of songs where they let him down. “I Had It All” has some cringe-level strained rhymes, and “Insha’Allah” is an example of a writer falling in love with a new phrase and proceeding to overuse it. No serious judgment though – I’m just as guilty of this as anyone.

The album ends with Lund returning to one of his specialties – self-deprecating humour. “That Old Familiar Drunken Feeling” is a song about Lund getting too high before a gig and realizing the only way he’s going to make it through the show is to mask the marijuana with something more familiar – liquor. The whole tale is good fun, but the turning point stanza is my favourite:

“I steeled myself, I said, what the hell?
And proceeded to forget all the lines
It was endless and seemed like a fever dream
Western hats and neon signs
So, in a desperate position, I made the desperate decision
That I'd handle this the cowboy way
Which is to pour enough whiskey on the problem
Till it catches on fire or it goes away”

Good stuff, Corb. After all these years he’s still got it, and “El Viejo” is a worthy entry into the catalogue of an artist who has consistently released quality music for the past thirty years and more. Ian would be proud.

Best tracks: The Card Players, Out on a Win, El Viejo (for Ian), That Old Familiar Drunken Feeling

The Concert: Monday, November 25 at the Capital Ballroom, Victoria BC

I’ll admit that at the end of the day on Monday I was not feeling like a concert, or much of anything beyond curling up on the couch under a blanket. However, I decided despite my distracted and weary state of mind I would lean into the experience and see where it took me. I’m glad I did, because it would turn out to be one of the best shows of the year.

Corb Lund was touring solo – so this show was acoustic guitar and no band. Just Corb and us. He put on two shows in one night (one at 7:00, and then another at 9:00).

I was shocked to find the entire dance floor of the Capital Ballroom festooned with folding chairs. This was to be a sit-down affair very much at odds with the usual experience at this venue. Being middle aged with a dodgy back, I was well-pleased, and getting there early, Sheila and secured a couple of primo “regular seats” behind and above the fold outs. I was briefly worried some jackasses would stand right in front of us and block our view while pretending to not even notice (a known tactic of the West Coast Jackass) but mercifully this did not come to pass.

Corb came on stage looking a little trepidatious for a man who has been a master of his craft for going on 30 years. I suspect he’s a bit of an introvert in real life. Both the singing and the guitar work early on were scratchy, but he quickly put that behind him and found his groove.

As I noted in the album review, Corb’s voice isn’t a powerhouse, but it has a natural storyteller’s feel to it, and he knows how to work it to best effect. His guitar work was merely OK (it’s there to accompany the story not ‘wail’). However, it was notable that on at least three occasions he changed the key by moving the capo around mid-song. I’ve never seen that before, but it was a nifty trick, and not easy.

The set list was no doubt influenced by the limitations of a single acoustic guitar, but only in the best possible way. Lund started off with three great military history songs, “I Wanna Be in the Cavalry”, “Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier” and “Student Visas” before taking a clever off-ramp with “Insha’Allah” which is a song about both military history (Lawrence of Arabia stuff), horse-themed stuff (now the third of four featuring horses) and off the latest record. “Insha’Allah” isn’t a favourite for me of of “El Viejo” but he followed it up with “That Old Familiar Drunken Feeling” so we’ll call it a wash.

Corb followed up the new material with a bunch of crowd favourites. You could tell everyone loved the hits from yesteryear although you could also tell they didn’t know the words as well as they thought they did. This included me, but I didn’t sing along and prove it to my neighbours (you’re welcome, neighbours). At my previous Corb Lund outing in 2016 (read the review at Disc 824) I had the displeasure of having such non-knowledgeable (and drunken) louts directly behind me blaring away into my unwilling ear holes. This time we were protected by choice seating, and so despite the distant trill of idiots in far corners of the room, I was able to enjoy Corb’s work to its fullest.

In terms of banter, you don’t get much better than Corb Lund. He is cool but vulnerable, and funny without pandering. He gives a quick intro to some songs, but mostly lets the lyrics tell the story.

Lund also did a couple of Ian Tyson covers, honouring his friend with renditions of “Summer Wages” (a classic) and “La Primera” (a deep cut from Tyson’s 1999 album “Lost Herds”). Both were amazing, particularly “La Primera” which Lund touted as one of Tyson’s greatest songs. I can’t disagree. It was brilliant and deeply affecting and will undoubtedly force me to dig into Tyson’s discography, starting with that record. Well played, Mr. Lund.

Overall, Lund’s easy storytelling manner, and the quality of the song selection temporarily pushed all my worldly cares into the corners of my mind, and I sat head in hand (our chairs came with a table) smiling away in thoughtful reverie.

Also, a word on the merch table, which was well stocked with lots of t-shirt options AND a sticker package (I know I’m not eight years old any more, but damn it, I still like stickers).

When I got home it was only 9:30 (remember, we went to the early show) I hadn’t had enough cowboy for the evening so I watched the last 45 minutes of “Unforgiven” again, and then, soul filled with great music and recharged for the moment, went to bed.

CD Odyssey Disc 1465: Corb Lund

The weather has finally warmed up and I took my convertible roof down and drove home from work in the early evening sun. It was downright therapeutic.

Disc 1465 is…. Agricultural Tragic

Artist: Corb Lund

Year of Release: 2020

What’s up with the Cover?  A man and his horse have a moment of alarm. Whatever is happening, it looks awkward for both of them.

How I Came To Know It: Just me buying the latest Corb Lund and hoping for the best.

How It Stacks Up: I have nine Corb Lund records. Of those, I put “Agricultural Tragic” in at #9. Hey, someone’s gotta be last.

Ratings: 3 stars

“Agricultural Tragic” is proof you can have too much of a good thing. All the things that make Corb Lund so good – his clever lyrics, old school Country and Western sound and good ole boy “home on the range” persona has made for some amazing records over the past twenty-five years. Much of what makes him so good is present on this record as well, and there is plenty to recommend it as a worthy entry in his canon.

However, despite my burning desire for Corb to one day read my blog and invite me out for beers and whiskey, there are moments on “Agricultural Tragic” where he crosses that subtle, invisible line into kitsch and caricature. The album is still good, but I’d be lying if I didn’t note it is a slight step down.

The record starts strong. “90 Seconds of Your Time” is the most musically interesting song on the record, displaying Lund’s talent for swaying in the pocket of a catchy melody, dropping lyrics that are jaunty on the surface, with painful subjects lurking just underneath. In this case, we have an Army Ranger living in the hills stealing livestock, as he struggles to adjust to civilian life.

In a similar vein, “Louis L’Amour” hearkens back to the days when old westerns had the heroes in white hats, and the villains in black hats, while reflecting on the more complicated problems of the modern age. The problems of urban decay and drug abuse are well presented in the song’s final stanza, and an example of what makes Lund so good at what he does.

The record is Lund’s kitschiest, and a lot of the songs are the kind that are most fun the first time you hear them, when the jokes are new. I found these songs worked best in proportion to how much I liked the topics. “Rat Patrol” uses a rockabilly beat to immortalize Alberta’s famed accomplishment of being one of only a handful of places on the planet that are rat free. Yes, there are no rats in Alberta. Zero. Look it up.

“Tattoo Blues” is a mostly spoken word list of the many errors that can happen when a tattoo goes wrong. Many a fine line in here, including: “My tattoos are blue, I got the tattoos blues/But hey, I got no regerts.” As someone who has long considered a “no rugrats” tattoo this one gave me an extra chuckle.

And the best tune on the album, is “Grizzly Bear Blues” which made me think of Stephen Herrero’s excellent book “Bear Attacks: Their Cause and Avoidance,” which is a comprehensive exploration of its topic that should absolutely NOT be read before you go camping. Best line from Lund’s tune:

“Should I run or should I stand? It’s an old debate
'cause sometimes it’s a bluff charge, and then sometimes it ain’t.
Can they run downhill? Can they climb a tree?
Maybe that’s just black bears, I can’t remember, hmmm let’s see.”

Great stuff. Where I grew up you only ran into black bears, although it did happen often. I'd sometimes miss the school bus waiting for them to wander off the road so I could pass.

However, while these songs are solid, there are times when the rhymes feel tacked on rather than fun. Also, many of the songs have a heavy literalism that could benefit from a well-placed metaphor or stronger emotional underpinning. Finally, the songs can sometimes feel like one-dimensional delivery systems for Lund’s storytelling compared to other work, where the song structure has a bigger role in setting the mood.

It is worth noting, however, that my least favourite of nine Corb Lund albums still warrants 3 stars. While I wouldn’t start here if you are just beginning to explore his body of work, “Agricultural Tragic” is still a good record in its own right.

Best tracks: 90 Seconds of Your Time, Grizzly Bear Blues, Louis L’Amour, Rat Patrol

CD Odyssey Disc 1201: Corb Lund

I’m mid-way through a lovely long weekend. I’ve had a couple of evenings out with friends, and tonight I’m looking forward to a quiet night at home with Sheila and a chance to listen to some albums I bought last weekend that I haven’t got to yet (one each of Rodney Crowell, the Bottle Rockets and the Scorpions).

On one of my outings I was asked if I was a completionist when it comes to collecting music. The answer is that I used to be, but not anymore. Partly, this is me trying to get real on the space demands created by my habit. Part of it is just letting go of the obsessive need to own every album by an artist I like.

That said, I need very little encouragement to drill deep into an artist’s back catalogue. Depending on the artist I might find one or two more albums that I like, five or six or…all of them. The last time “all of them” happened was with the incomparable David Francey, but that is now more the exception than the rule.

Disc 1201 is… Losin’ Lately Gambler

Artist: Corb Lund

Year of Release: 2009

What’s up with the Cover? You’d expect an album with the title “Losin’ Lately Gambler” to feature someone gambling, but instead we see the inveterate gambler in his other natural habitat, the dive bar. He’s looking back a bit fearfully here, making me wonder if he’s just seen his bookie in the doorway.

How I Came To Know It: This was just me drilling through Corb Lund’s music after I realized how much I liked him (see intro above). Yes, just like David Francey, I liked everything.

How It Stacks Up:  I have 8 Corb Lund albums and “Losin’ Lately Gambler” is in a tie for the best one, but since I’m not big on ties I’ll put it at #1, bumping “Cabin Fever” down by one in the process.

Ratings:  4 stars

“Losin’ Lately Gambler” is like an old rancher home up against the road; unassuming and simple at a glance, but once you go inside there is a big back porch that opens onto some spectacular vistas. Lund’s voice, smooth and strong, is like the old farmer who lives there, holding a cup of joe in a tin cup as he points to landmarks in the distance, each one with a story to tell.

Corb Lund has made no secret of his love for his native Alberta, but on “Losin’ Lately Gambler” he is even more effusive than usual. Even the songs that aren’t directly referencing the Province have themes (farm veterinarians, plains riding outlaws) that feel most at home there.

Corb has always been a master of making new songs sound like old-time trail songs. It doesn’t feel derivative, but rather like you are living in an earlier simpler time. Once he sets that tone, however, Lund cleverly introduces modern concepts as well such as prescription drug addiction (“Horse Doctor, Come Quick”) and oil development (“This is My Prairie”).

Sometimes old and new themes cross over, such as on “A Game in Town Like This” which could be in the old west if it weren’t for references to early morning traffic. Like many of the songs on “Losin’ Lately Gambler” Lund has a sharp talent for voicing different characters. Here, the narrator employs a time-honoured gambling fallacy, figuring that if he’s losing a little bit less then in a way, he’s winning. On “Horse Doctor, Come Quick” the singer insists it’s his horse that’s sick, but you quickly divine he’s after the resulting prescription for himself.

Lund can’t resist a novelty song, and “Losin’ Lately Gambler” has a couple. “Long Gone to Saskatchewan” gives playful props to Alberta’s neighbor, and “Talkin’ Veterinarian Blues” is a Dylanesque rapid fire rhyme about raising livestock. “It’s Hard to Keep a White Shirt Clean” is…exactly what it sounds like. On some records, these songs start to annoy me on repeat listens, but the ones here are both musically sound and humorous enough to stay fresh over time.

The best song on the album is “This Is My Prairie” where Lund plays the part of a rancher seeing his lands poisoned by development and determined to take a stand. It is heartfelt and well-rounded, with the rancher recognizing those workers are trying to make a living as well. It is also dark, ending with grim suggestion that the rancher is about to take the law into his own hands.

The record has great guitar work throughout, but with three guitarists credited in the liner notes I can’t say for certain who the maestro is on the strings; maybe it’s all of them. I particularly liked the Mexican-flavoured trill on “Devil’s Best Dress” but there is plenty of great musicianship throughout.

“Losin’ Lately Gambler” is a delightful mix of honky-tonked blues and down home country and western storytelling. On it, Corb Lund wears his heart on his sleeve throughout, inviting you into his homeland with heartfelt honesty and more than a little humour.

Best tracks: A Game In Town Like This, Alberta Says Hello, Devil’s Best Dress, Chinook Wind, This Is My Prairie

CD Odyssey Disc 1115: Corb Lund

It’s my second album in a row released in 2012. What does it mean? Nothing at all but the brain sure loves recognizing patterns, doesn’t it?

Disc 1115 is… Cabin Fever

Artist: Corb Lund

Year of Release: 2012

What’s up with the Cover? A mountain man takes a walk in the snow. I hope he’s just going for a morning pee, because that thin shirt doesn’t look warm enough for a full day outside in the snow.

How I Came To Know It: I was already a fan of Corb Lund when this album came out, so it was just me having faith it would be good.

How It Stacks Up:  I have 8 Corb Lund albums. Of those 8, “Cabin Fever” ranks second best. Sometimes I think it could be #1, but I’m leaving space to be impressed.

Ratings: 4 stars

When I last saw Corb Lund live I was surprised at how much of the setlist was from “Cabin Fever”. However listening the album made that make a lot of sense.

For a guy with roots as a bass player in a grunge band it is impressive how truly country and western Corb Lund sounds. He’s got that Alberta twang (like the Southern U.S. but a bit more round and flat at the edges) and he is a natural storyteller.

“Cabin Fever” sees him embracing traditional western roots, with songs that amble along and melodies that mosey up and down the scales and lend themselves to singing along when you’re out riding the trail. Or so I imagine – it has been so long since I rode a horse down a trail (and I’ve done it so infrequently) I’m not sure I could even remember how.

With that in mind, it is fitting that the album begins with “Gettin’ Down on the Mountain” a song warning city folks like me that if modern society should collapse you better have skills other than music review writing. Corb notes huntin’, shootin’, and growing vegetables as three key ones. The song has a swagger that implies the narrator has low regard for those who can’t start a fire in a light wind.

There is a rock groove to “Gettin’ Down on the Mountain” and Lund once again crosses blues elements into his country style throughout the record. “Dig Gravedigger Dig” has a rock-breakin’ gritty swing that would be at home as a prison work song, and “Gothest Girl I Can” is a rockabilly celebration of girls who are:

“Thrift store vampire chic

It’s night every day of the week

Stop, stare, dead flowers in her hair

She’s the Gothest girl I can.”

Having always had a soft spot for pale skin and black bangs this song appealed to me, and its playful energy makes it all the more fun.

Lund has even more fun in a duet with Hayes Carll called “Bible on the Dash”. This song is so close to commercial Nashville country catchy I wanted to dislike it, but damn it, it was just too clever to reject. Even without the words, the electric guitar riffs that Grant Siemens loads it up with makes it fun even if Carll and Lund just sat there hummin’.

While I mostly liked the kitsch and fun on the record, Lund lost me with “Cows Around” a song about how much fun it is to…have cows around. It is just too hokey and frankly, I just don’t love having cows around. This is one of those songs that when Lund plays in concert (and he always does) I find myself looking at my watch while the rest of the crowd is smiling, clapping and singing along.

When Lund switches over to western themes, he makes you revel in the tale even though after multiple listens you already know how each one ends. The best on this album is “Pour ‘Em Kinda Strong” a song about a gunman on the run dipping temporarily into a bar. Lund tells the story in the words of the gunman speaking to the barkeep, and does a masterful job of catching a nuanced character in the lyrics and delivery. The gunman is polite but insistent, with a menace underneath and a willingness to do violence.

The record shows a lot of range, and Lund is at his best when he gets mournful and introspective. “September” is a song about someone begging their lover to stay a little longer. The song features a romantic mid-tempo guitar strum, some sweet steel guitar work, and mournful high singing where Lund shows surprising range.

Lund is a master of cadence and rhyme, using them to deliver punch lines at the end of every stanza.  On “One Left in the Chamber” he tells the story of a man on the brink:

“There the one I left unfinished, there’s the one I can’t explain

There’s the one in Colorado, the one I wished I had again

There’s the one I broke too easy, there’s the one I couldn’t break

There’s the one I too much of, there’s all the shit I couldn’t take

There’s the one I shoulda walked away from and come right home to you

And the one left in the chamber oughta do.”

Lund uses a series of alternating concepts to underscore that sometimes life just pushes when it needs to pull, and zigs when you need it to zag. Then after he lulls you into a gentle sway of regret, he drops that short line at the end to underscore the finality of what’s about to happen. Good tragedy employs punch lines too – they just aren’t funny.

So often great artists have all their success early and then have a long trail of playing old favourites at shows for decades to come, mixed in with a couple of new ones to keep themselves interested. “Cabin Fever” proves that almost 15 years into Corb Lund’s career it isn’t too late to deliver a classic.

Best tracks: Gettin’ Down on the Mountain, Bible on the Dash, September, The Gothest Girl I Can, One Left in the Chamber, Pour ‘Em Kinda Strong

CD Odyssey Disc 849: Corb Lund

It was my first day back at work in a week and a half after a very relaxing holiday. I was dreading my inbox, but everything went pretty smoothly, all things considered.

Disc 849 is….Five Dollar Bill

Artist: Corb Lund

Year of Release: 2002

What’s up with the Cover? I would have liked this take on a five dollar bill but the picture of some kid riding a bull just didn’t appeal. Also for an artist that is so quintessentially Canadian, how come it has to be American money?

How I Came To Know It: Although this is a fairly early Corb Lund record, I came it late. I already had some alternate versions of the songs on “Modern Pain” and other albums appealed to me more when I was digging through his back catalogue. Eventually it was one of the only ones I was missing, and so purchasing it became inevitable.

How It Stacks Up:  I have eight Corb Lund albums. Of those eight, “Five Dollar Bill” isn’t my favourite, but it has its moments. I’ll put it sixth.

Ratings: 3 stars

“Five Dollar Bill” an album that showcases just how much Corb Lund loves tradition, both those of his country and also those of his musical style.

That style is solidly in the country genre, but it is so heavily Canadiana it would be unfair not to add in “folk” as well. In twenty years I expect Corb Lund will be to Alberta what Stan Rogers is to the Maritimes now. “Five Dollar Bill” will be an important entry in his catalogue at that point.

The album starts with the title track, a tale of a man who is one part bootlegger and one part songwriter. Two people get robbed in the song, and a third - the singer - gets his pocket picked. Supposedly the pickpocket makes off with a five dollar bill where the lyrics to the song were written. This made me think, ‘if the lyrics are on the bill and he loses it, how can the song include the theft of the song’? Or is this a different song about losing the first one? It can make your head hurt, until you remember that Corb is never trying to confuse his listeners; he’s trying to wink at us.

Other fun loving songs on the album include “Time to Switch to Whiskey” which has become a crowd favourite at concerts that Corb Lund has to trot out for drunken louts at every show in the same way Steve Earle does with “Copperhead Road.” Fortunately the song is an infectious number, with an important lesson. That lesson is that if you have been drinking beer all night, it may be time to switch to whiskey. No, wait – I’m pretty sure the opposite would be smarter. I guess it depends on where the evening is heading at that point. There’s Corb, winking at me again.

The melodies on the record are not terribly interesting, but they aren’t intended to be. They are there to serve as a platform for the stories Corb sings. Occasionally Corb will branch out, like with the hint of eastern rhythms on “Apocalyptic Modified Blues” but for the most part he plays it straight up country. Old school storytelling country, mind you, not the newfangled pop country popular in Nashville.

Corb Lund albums always bury a few slower tempo tracks with more to say, and genuine emotion in them. “Five Dollar Bill” gives us a few, including “Short Native Grasses (Prairies of Alberta).” It is a song about the uncaring plains of Alberta; so stark when you are looking for a friend, so welcome when you just want to forget about all your troubles. I’ve never seen the prairies but Corb can make you feel like you’re standing right in the middle of a wheat field.

“Heavy and I’m Leaving” is the most musically interesting song, with an entire section of the song that appears to be possessed by the spirit of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” (not exactly, but the hint is there in the prairie air) only to return to its original course in a way that never feels forced either into or out of the break.

Corb writes great anthems for the working man, but they can edge into kitsch sometimes. When I first heard “Roughest Neck Around” I loved all the oil field imagery (bonus points for referring to oil work as “pulling dragons from the ground”) but after you’ve heard it a few times the expectation of the lyrics make them lose their sizzle.

Some of the songs get a bit too cutesy, as on “Daughter Don’t You Marry No Guitar Picker” which is essentially a blues lick where the premise (all the people a father doesn’t want his daughter to marry) isn’t interesting enough to withstand repeat listens.

However, even these weaker tracks are still pretty good, and aren’t so boring that I felt the urge to skip them. They are like the old stories long-time friends tell each other. Sure you’ve heard the stories before, but you just like to hear them tell it again anyway, even if you know how it ends.

Best tracks:  Short Native Grasses (Prairies of Alberta), Heavy and Leaving, Time to Switch to Whiskey, She Won’t Come to Me

CD Odyssey Disc 824: Corb Lund

When I’m going to a concert where an artist is featuring a new album I like to just soak in the new album as much as possible in advance, so this next record has had a lot of repeat listening over the past 48 hours.

At the end of the album review you can read about the concert as well – bonus coverage!

Disc 824 is….Things That Can’t Be Undone

Artist: Corb Lund

Year of Release: 2015

What’s up with the Cover? There is a trend in album covers to make them look like old sixties album covers. This album is part of that trend, with the simple shot of Corb with his guitar and the songs all listed on the front cover. Here Corb looks like he’s hanging out in his hotel room working on some songs. I sure hope it’s a hotel room, because I think he is successful enough to afford nicer curtains.

How I Came To Know It: I love Corb Lund, so this was just me buying his latest record when it came out.

How It Stacks Up:  I have eight Corb Lund albums. Of the eight I can only place it fifth best, but it is still really good. I just like all of Corb Lund’s stuff.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

Corb Lund is one of those artists that got better later in his career. “Things That Can’t Be Undone” holds up the high standards of his string of strong records stretching back over the last ten years. It’s been a pretty good run.

The record is solidly country and western, but it has folk, roots, and rock elements as well. Lund got his start in an alternative rock band (“The Smalls”) and that edge has survived over his long country career. As with Steve Earle, all these other influences make his music more interesting than it might otherwise be.

That said don’t expect Corb to wow you with jazz-like progressions and confusing time signatures. This is mostly three-four and four-four time with some very basic melodies. You could even argue all Corb Lund songs sound the same at some level. To which I would say you’re right: they all sound good!

The opening track is a western song called “Weight of the Gun” about murder and the regret that follows it. I’m not sure there is a better western singer than Lund right now, with most country artists abandoning such traditional fare for songs with wider appeal. Corb continues to carry the western torch, and “Weight of the Gun” is a worthy entry in his cannon (in this case, a hand cannon). The song also features a thick country riff that is so sweet and timeless you could imagine Johnny Cash wrote it in the sixties.

At other times, “Things That Can’t Be Undone” had me thinking of Steve Earle. Like Earle, Lund artfully takes a singular experience and translates it into something universal. On “Sadr City” he tells the story of one soldier coming home from Iraq, determined he’ll never go back. The song is aided by the fine steel guitar work of Grant Siemens.

“S Lazy H” tells the story of one man’s struggle to keep his family’s ranch alive, only to be betrayed by his own sister seeking a quick dollar from the sale of the property. Thanks to sharp and specific lyrics, and a great vocal delivery from Lund both this song and “Sadr City” viscerally put you in the shoes of these warriors of the working day as they swim against currents not of their own making.

Corb is also very good at making fun of himself, as he does on “Washed-Up Rock Star Factory Blues” about a singer who has a string of bad records and has to go back to his old labour job. Lots of fun lines in this one, but my favourites are:

“When I picked up the pen with the purchase order slips

The boss said ‘watch him boys, he’s gonna write a hit.

‘You’re an artist man, and there ain’t no boudt adout it

So when you paint the back fence be kinda sensitive about it.”

This is perfect all the way down to the goofy way the boss mixes up his letters in an attempt to be clever. And maybe dare the new employee to correct his language as well.

The record has some of the best production and arrangements I’ve heard on a Corb Lund album. His early records suffer on that front a little bit, and he’s come a long way in terms of using these dark arts to make every song sound that much more interesting and unique.

“Things That Can’t Be Done” is a strong record from someone who has settled nicely into a comfortable pocket of modern country music, but still has his own voice and a clear sense of history of the musical tradition he is a part of.

Best tracks:  Weight of the Gun, Sadr City, Washed-Up Rock Star Factory Blues, S Lazy H, Goodbye Colorado

THE CONCERT – January 26, 2016 at the McPherson Theatre, Victoria

This was one of those shows that could have easily been wrecked because of some bad luck with who we ended up seated near, but where the artist’s performance was so good it pulled me through.

First though, allow me to give some love to the McPherson theatre. I’m not usually a fan of the McPherson. I find it a bit stuffy, it gets very warm and the sound can be muted. However, I go where the music is.

This time, the McPherson gets a tip of the cowboy hat. The sound was a lot better than usual. In fact it was pretty great. It was amped up just the right amount so you could hear the performers loud and clear without anything bouncing off the walls. I think it helped that Sheila and I were in the fourth row from the stage as well, and I’m resolved to sit up close again.

The opening act was Daniel Romano. I’d never of heard of Romano if it hadn’t been for a coworker who was a big fan, but as it was I was primed (and a little excited) to see him perform. Romano was an understated fellow. He just came out with his two compatriots and the three of them sat down on stools and played.

Romano’s songs are beautifully written and thoroughly depressing, but in a good way. He started out sounding (and looking) a bit too much like Bob Dylan in his vocal style, but as his short set proceeded he found his own voice; kind of a mix of Dylan and Gram Parsons, with some early Leonard Cohen thrown in for good measure. I liked it, and I liked his backup singer, Kay Berkel, as well. In addition to being drop-dead gorgeous and a recording artist in her own right, Kay was once a pentathlete, which makes for an interesting resume. You can reach Kay here. Kay, you can reach me here!

Ahem…anyway, in due course Corb Lund would take the stage. Unfortunately while we waited for him to set up a group of annoying yahoos also showed up who had decided to skip the opening act. “Drunken louts” doesn’t really do them justice, but let’s use the expression as a starting point. Throughout the show they yelled at the wrong times, sang off key or vigorously kicked the chairs in front of them.

Fortunately Corb Lund was good enough that I was (mostly) able to ignore them.

Corb started out with a short “western” set full of gunfighting songs “Weight of the Gun,” “Drink It Like You Mean It” and “Priceless Antique Pistol Shoots Startled Owner”. He sang all these songs with a bandana disguising his face, which was a bit affected, but he made it work.

The band was excellent, particularly the lead guitar player, who was equally brilliant on the slide steel guitar and the electric and added depth and texture to every track.

Corb’s song list hit all the crowd favourites, including “Bible on the Dash,” “Hurtin’ Albertan” and “I Wanna Be in the Cavalry” (although sadly we only got the ‘upbeat’ version of the latter song, and I really wanted to hear the more sombre “bummer’ version).

Corb did about half of his new album, most of which I liked although I wished he’d played “Sadr City.” I think someone requested it from the floor but he went with the friendlier but schlocky “Cows Around” instead. Generally the tone was upbeat and fun and Lund avoided a lot of his more politically charged songs.

It was a well-constructed set, with up-tempo songs front and centre, and a few tear-jerkers thrown in at just the right time. These songs were some of my favourites, including “One Left In the Chamber,” “Alberta Says Hello” and “S Lazy H.”

In terms of selecting songs, Lund heavily favoured his previous album, 2012’s “Cabin Fever.” I counted 8 of 12 total songs off this record being played. In terms of earlier records, he pulled only two or three off each. In terms of old tracks, I would’ve liked to hear more off of “Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier” but generally I was happy.

And now a second shout-out to the McPherson, this time for their staff, who did their level best to calm down the idiots in the audience near us. Half an hour in they’d settled down into the occasional yelp; usually singing some lyric of a song a half-beat too late when they suddenly realized they knew it. Thankfully they hardly knew any of his songs, so this happened only rarely.

The main set ended with the traditional “Rye Whiskey/Time To Switch to Whiskey” which was great, although I think as an audience we let Corb down a bit on the sing-a-long.

For the encore, Corb did a wardrobe change and came out looking like a bespectacled reincarnation of Hank Williams Sr. It really worked for him, although he’s one of those big handsome dudes who make anything look good.

After the show, Corb Lund graciously took photos with fans and signed merchandise, a great tradition I’ve notice country artists embrace way more than rock artists on average. I was going to stay and get a photo with him, but we settled for this side shot of him working.

Turns out it was a mistake, since a lot of the late hangers-on ended up being able to spend some time with him backstage. D’oh! Ah, well. I still had fun, and I’d definitely see him again.

CD Odyssey Disc 721: Corb Lund

I’ve been working late all week and then going out shortly after getting home, so I’ve once again been slow to get my next review up. Here it is.

Disc 721 is…. Hair in My Eyes Like a Highland Steer

Artist: Corb Lund

Year of Release: 2005

What’s up with the Cover? Corb lounges in a chair, bootless and thoughtful. I know this scene is supposed to look very old school farmstead, but to me it looks more like one of those mini studios you pose in at a wild west show after they dress you up in ‘old timey’ clothes. Corb is the real deal, but this picture doesn’t do him any justice.

How I Came To Know It: As far as the artist goes, my buddy Greg introduced me to Corb Lund on a man’s holiday he and I and a couple other friends went on a few years ago. This particular album I first heard via my other buddy Casey (also on that trip) when he played three or four songs off of it, and I liked all of them.

Despite all that, it took me a while to find and I only bought it in the last couple of years during the great Corb Lund binge I’ve been on.

How It Stacks Up:  I have seven Corb Lund albums – I haven’t bothered to get his recent live release yet, but I’ve got all his studio albums. I struggle with ranking them. There is one clear winner but all the rest have something different I like about them. “Hair in My Eyes Like a Highland Steer” is somewhere in the middle. I’ll put it fourth or fifth depending on my mood.

Rating: 3 stars but almost 4

“Hair in My Eyes Like a Highland Steer” (hereafter “Steer”) feels like a departure for Corb Lund toward a more upbeat, radio friendly feel. You could argue this was already happening on 2002’s “Five Dollar Bill” but that record doesn’t quite feel baked yet.

As you may know, I have little to no time for the radio – satellite or otherwise – so being ‘radio friendly’ is not a positive. I don’t think an album should be rejected just because it is excessively catchy, though. Isn’t music often great because it is a little catchy?

“Hair” is definitely catchy, with two of the most ear-worm worthy tracks Corb has ever recorded starting it off. The title track is a grand old time with an up-tempo rhythm that is irresistibly good. The lyrics also hop to, with enthusiastic tongue in cheek.

Track 2, “The Truck Got Stuck,” is equally fun as it tells the hilarious tale of a bunch of men trying to get a truck out of the mud, and getting their own truck stuck in the process. The best of many great lines:

“Well we used a lot of our backs and a little of our brains

We jacked up the jacks and snugged up the chains

And we all did our very best to refrain…from shoveling.”

If you’ve ever ‘unstuck’ a truck you know that last line is very true. It always feels like you get out when someone finally gets down there and does some grunt work – after much contemplation of the various angles, options and varying determinations of “where she’s slippin’.”

These opening tracks stray dangerously close to that New Country sound that I am not at all keen on. It wisely stays on the “Alan Jackson” side of that line but not by much. If Corb isn’t slow-dancing with Nashville, he is certainly in a line dance with her, hooking his thumbs in his belt loops and chancing a wink now and then on the turn.

However, there are no bad genres only bad songs, and Corb’s songwriting is more than enough to not only make this sound work, and do so in a way that instills it with a personal style that never sounds empty or corporate. It is kitschy at times, but never anything but a really good kitschy.

Not content to explore one style of country, Lund gets down into old school trucker music, songs about card games and down-home advice on everything from shooting a gun to warming up your horse’s bit in cold weather. This is music by a man who loves the traditional styles of country music and isn’t afraid to update them. More importantly, unlike a lot of modern country artists, he does so while keeping the soul of the experience intact.

Corb also strays into rock and roll, which isn’t surprising given his origins in stoner rock band “The Smalls.” “Counterfeiter Blues” and “Good Copenhagen” are both grimy tracks that mix that earlier rough stuff with outlaw country. In his hands it is a natural marriage.

The album isn’t without its warts. Lund’s love for the legends of yesteryear has him doing partnerships with Ian Tyson and Ramblin’ Jack Elliot that don’t really add much to the record (although like Corb, I’d also never pass up the opportunity to work with living legends).

This is a respectable album and its imperfections give it character. Corb was on the cusp of greatness here…but more on that when I roll it.

That’s a teaser, y’all.

Best tracks: Hair in My Eyes Like a Highland Steer, The Truck Got Stuck, The Truth Comes Out, Counterfeiter’s Blues