After five albums that have made him one of Canada's most admired and successful contemporary country artists, Corb Lund is set to release Losin' Lately Gambler, his first effort for esteemed American roots music label New West Records, on September 29. Right now, though, the entire album is exclusively streaming here at Exclaim.ca.
To hear the record, simply click here.
Lund, who has recorded in Nashville for several years now with producer Harry Stinson, has been focusing on building his U.S. audience through constant touring. Still, nearly all the songs on the new album are packed with Canadian references, from the topical "Long Gone to Saskatchewan" to the defiant "This Is My Prairie."
"We've struggled to build a grassroots following down in Texas and the west," Lund tells Exclaim! "It's been coming along, but it's happened without any support. I'm really excited to see what happens with [New West] helping out now. I couldn't have picked a better label, based on what I do."
He adds: "They didn't put any kind of restrictions on my tunes at all. It's the first time I've been on a label with clout like that, so I've been wondering at what point would someone come in and start telling me how I should make my records. But they didn't say a word beyond 'Go do your thing, that's why we hired you.'"
Apart from the often humourous slices of prairie life that Lund is known for in his writing, Losin' Lately Gambler also includes songs directly inspired by his outlaw predecessors Marty Robbins, Waylon Jennings and Canada's own Willie P. Bennett. Lund was, in fact, good friends with the late Willie P., and "It's Hard to Keep a White Shirt Clean" stemmed from their time on tour together.
"Willie and I were roommates on the road," Lund says. "We played cribbage a lot. He was wearing that white shirt all the time because he'd always say that the ladies liked white shirts. I wanted to write that song for him."
Topping it all off, the album boasts a live version of Lund's regular show-stopper, "Time to Switch to Whiskey," giving new fans a glimpse of what Lund's dynamic stage presence is all about.
Losin' Lately Gambler will be streaming on Exclaim.ca until September 28.
To hear the record, simply click here.
Lund, who has recorded in Nashville for several years now with producer Harry Stinson, has been focusing on building his U.S. audience through constant touring. Still, nearly all the songs on the new album are packed with Canadian references, from the topical "Long Gone to Saskatchewan" to the defiant "This Is My Prairie."
"We've struggled to build a grassroots following down in Texas and the west," Lund tells Exclaim! "It's been coming along, but it's happened without any support. I'm really excited to see what happens with [New West] helping out now. I couldn't have picked a better label, based on what I do."
He adds: "They didn't put any kind of restrictions on my tunes at all. It's the first time I've been on a label with clout like that, so I've been wondering at what point would someone come in and start telling me how I should make my records. But they didn't say a word beyond 'Go do your thing, that's why we hired you.'"
Apart from the often humourous slices of prairie life that Lund is known for in his writing, Losin' Lately Gambler also includes songs directly inspired by his outlaw predecessors Marty Robbins, Waylon Jennings and Canada's own Willie P. Bennett. Lund was, in fact, good friends with the late Willie P., and "It's Hard to Keep a White Shirt Clean" stemmed from their time on tour together.
"Willie and I were roommates on the road," Lund says. "We played cribbage a lot. He was wearing that white shirt all the time because he'd always say that the ladies liked white shirts. I wanted to write that song for him."
Topping it all off, the album boasts a live version of Lund's regular show-stopper, "Time to Switch to Whiskey," giving new fans a glimpse of what Lund's dynamic stage presence is all about.
Losin' Lately Gambler will be streaming on Exclaim.ca until September 28.
