"Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!" (2007), Corb Lund's fifth album, was once again recorded in Nashville with the Hurtin' Albertans under the direction of country music producer, songwriter, musician extraordinaire, Harry Stinson.
The album features 12 songs written by Corb Lund and has been released in Canada by Stony Plain Records and Warner Music Canada.
On Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! Corb writes about warfare via something he knows about first hand: horses. It's been almost a century since most of us pondered the cavalry's integral role in military history. But as Lund points out on the globetrotting title track, you can still find traces of the cavalry in more contemporary conflicts, like the one going on today in Afghanistan.
Armed with plenty of books on military history throughout the ages—as well as some Gabriel Garcia Marquez and tales of the French foreign legion—Corb wanted to write about "timeless themes" rather than today's headlines. "I tend to dig around for exotic detail", he says. "Plus, I've never been much of an overtly political writer. I respect that form of art, and I do have very strong beliefs about those kinds of issues. But I also think that there's a place for music that makes people feel deeper things than current events."
When Corb delves into the war stories there is little levity to be found. The gung-ho lead-off track (and first single), "I Wanna Be In The Cavalry" re-appears to bookend the album in a more morose form. The single also features long time friend and songwriter Geoff Berner on accordian.
Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! is teeming with tales of conflict and cavalry, but he hasn't left his home province of Alberta behind. "Family Reunion" and "Hard On Equipment (Tool For The Job)" speak to the same down-home fans of songs like "The Truck Got Stuck" while "Brother Brigham, Brother Young" is the tale set in the early frontier days of settlement in Utah. And on "Especially A Paint", Corb laments the life he left behind to pursue his rock’n’roll dreams. Fans of his previous rock band the smalls will also surely dig his version of "My Saddle Horse Has Died" featuring mariachi horns.
1. I Wanna Be In The Cavalry
2. Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier
3. Lament For Lester Cousins
4. Brother Brigham, Brother Young
5. The Horse I Rode In On
6. A Leader On Losing Control
7. Student Visas
8. What That Song Means Now
9. Hard On Equipment (Tool For The Job)
10. Family Reunion
11. Especially A Paint
12. Giesla's Revenge
13. My Saddle Horse Has Died 14. I Wanna Be In The Cavalry 15. Taps
