Corb Lund – El Viejo.
El Viejo. Old man. That’s the name Corb Lund gave to his new album, the album produced in his living room in Lethbridge, Alberta surrounded by acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, and a resonator guitar. Dedicated to his mentor, the Canadian songwriter Ian Tyson, who was nicknamed “El Viejo” by mutual friend Tom Russell, this album is all acoustic, with “not an electric lick on the album” and is full of quality songwriting and the playing is extraordinary.
In terms of the lyrics, gambling abounds in this collection of Western themed songs. “The Cardplayer” begins with “I guess it depends what you mean by collusion, there’s no winning strategy here.” “When the Game Gets Hot” advises a cheating foolproof strategy, and the song for Ian, “El Viejo (For Ian)” mourns the closing of blackjack tables they used to frequent.
Profound philosophical reflections on mortality make an appearance in”Out on a Win” with: “I’ve been knocked out cold, I hate to tell you boys but I mighta’ got old. All I want to do is go out on a win.” “I Had it All” mentions with a wistful tone that reveals more than a little bit: “Daddy weren’t around to show me how to save a dollar… I had it all and I pissed it away.”
“Was Fort Worth Worth It” is a honky tonk regret: “did it serve any purpose but to cause a lot of people a lot of pain”? “Redneck Rehab” is an uptempo, hard driving acoustic “locked in a shack, a single wide trailer for a month and a half… mama got mad, I gotta kick the speed before Daddy gets back.”
“Insha’Allah” (in Arabic,”God Willing”) is a somber number “I shall see you when the fighting finally ceases… peace upon him be,” in a creative song about a father returning to the child he has never met “I shall see you when the dates return upon the trees, until then, in your dreams.”
Throughout every song the acoustic playing remains superb. This album is easy to listen to, and easier to enjoy.
Find more information and his music here: https://corblund.bandcamp.com/album/el-viejo
Musicians on the album, aka “The Hurtin’ Albertans,” are Corb Lund on vocals and acoustic guitar; Grant Siemens on acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, resonator and nylon string guitars, banjo, and mandolin; Sean Burns on upright bass, background vocals, and harmonica; Lyle Molzan on drums and percussion; and Gang vocals on “Old Familiar Drunken Feeling” by The Southern Alberta Community
Singers.
El Viejo was produced by Corb Lund, co-produced by Grant Siemens and Scott Franchuk and recorded in Corb’s living room by Scott Franchuk for Riverdale Recorders. All songs were arranged by Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans. The album was mixed by Steve Christensen at Terminal C in Houston; and mastered by Chris Longwood at Chris Longwood Mastering, also in Houston.
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Corb Lund’s “Agricultural Tragic” and the State We’re In
