If all country music sounded like Corb Lund, I’d be first on the wagon train to Calgary.
Lund was a founding member of seminal Edmonton punk band the smalls, but found his way back to his roots a few years ago. Lund grew up in and around Taber, Alberta, just outside Calgary, and along with his band, the Hurtin’ Albertans, has found a unique sound that blends country, rock, folk, bluegrass, roots. Hell, he blends pretty much anything he wants.
You may recognize his name from his last hit, “The Truck Got Stuck.”
“Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier” is the song that found its way into my head early this morning. It’s less comedic than “The Truck” and more epic.
It comes from the fifth album by Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans, titled Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! (note the punctuational differences) and released last fall. The entire album is a tribute to horses and the people who have ridden them throughout history.
This song in particular traces the horse solider (duh) through the conflicts of modern history. It’s a story, actually, which makes sense, because Lund is, in fact, a modern-day storyteller, a troubadour for our age.
And it’s got this as a hook:
I'm a hussar, I'm a Hun, I'm a wretched Englishman
Routing Bonaparte at Waterloo
I'm a dragoon on a dun, I'm a Cossack on the run
I'm a horse soldier, timeless, through and through
I’m a horse soldier, eternal, through and through
Lund is the kind of musician my father and I can both listen to when trapped together in a car - or truck. And Marty Robbins. That’s a special thing.
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