Watch yourself, cowpoke…
Is our dear friend Corb Lund looking to sell out?
The packaging of his latest album, Losin’ Lately Gambler, reeks of a mainstream reach-around. From the Kenny Chesney-looking candid photo on the album’s cover to the insert in the digipack hawking ringtones to the blurred-out curse word on the gatefold of the CD, it seems like Lund is looking to get a little more Wal*Mart in his sales statistics.
Oh, but ol’ Corb is too gin-yoo-wine for that, isn’t he? The Hurtin’ Albertan, the even-keeled prairie redneck with a winning sense of humour, he’s still as subversive and dark as he was when he fronted the (legendary) Smalls. Look no further for evidence than lead track, “Horse Doctor, Come Quick,” a track about some poor country folk getting hooked on animal tranquilizers. Yeah, put that on CMT and see how the baby boomers react, marketing department at Lund’s new label.
See, I’m assuming that’s the genesis for the shift in presentation: Lund is now a member of the influential U.S. roots label New West Records, a means to increase his profile south of the border. Understandable, I suppose, even if the physical product that comes out is much more commercially packaged. Ironically, however, Lund has written his most overtly Canadian set of songs yet, his new bosses giving him a blank slate upon which to write.
So its basically more of what those that know and love Corb Lund would be expecting: more country than alt-country, more twang than clang, and clever without being too clever by half. An album with Lund’s tweaked, modern take on country coupled with a half-dozen songs referencing places that most Americans likely don’t even know exist. Enjoy, plainsmen of the United States.
There are a few more tracks on here that lean more towards modern country instrumentation (ie. electric guitars) than rootsy acoustic guitar strumming, but that fits Lund’s M.O. He’s an easy-going country rocker and age is only turning him easier. These songs are overwhelmingly sunny, even the odd track about dark addictions coursing through with a subtle vein of optimism. A majority of the songs are odes to the Canadian prairie and the lifestyle tied to it: rodeo dreams and cold Pilsner wishes. Poker stories, warm chinook winds, tales of the good life in Saskatchewan, saying hello to prairie ex-pats in fancier Canadian cities…it’s aimed squarely at his comrades, compatriots, and countrymen.
There is a distinct lack of the dark, dark edge that has run through some of his previous solo work, most notably his last release, Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!. Gone are the impossibly bleak wartime scenarios of “I Wanna Be In The Calvary: Reprise” and “A Leader On Losing Control” and the tweaked-out PTSD veteran in “Student Visas.” Those were powerfully effective, albeit impossibly dour, story songs. Things are significantly lighter this time around.
But I don’t think you can blame Corb for making some of these tunes a little more accessible to “mainstream” baby boomer types. A lot of the success he’s enjoyed since returning to his roots has come from some of his “cuter” tracks getting minor play on country radio and CMT. It seems like this album strikes a very purposeful balance between his iconoclastic nature and his potential mainstream appeal. Why fight it if you’re able to do what you do on a higher level?
In all sincerity, here’s hoping the marketing campaign pans out; I’d really like to see Corb do well. Any Albertan that loves Saskatchewan is a friend of mine.
Corb Lund - Talkin' Veterinarian Blues [3:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Corb Lund - Devil's Best Dress [2:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadGet six big releases, including Losin’ Lately Gambler, from Lund’s on-line store. Do it now, please. iTunes has his solo material and his “Corb Lund Band” releases available as well.
