Tim Hus

It makes perfect sense that Tim Hus now shares a record label with Ian Tyson and Corb Lund. He’s another Albertan country troubadour, cut from the same cloth — hard-worn denim — as those two. Both Tyson and Lund have endorsed Hus’s work and if you’re a Corb fan, chances are excellent Bush Pilot Buckaroo will charm you too. It’s actually his fourth CD, and the serious road dues he’s been paying have resulted in a real tight band sound. "We’re a country band with a punk attitude and meaningful songs,” claims Hus, with justification. His approach may be less cerebral than Lund’s, though lines like, "The mysteries aren’t written with parchment and quill but branded forever on the foothills breeze” ("The Great Divide”) do show literary flair. There is no mistaking the conviction in his voice and the honesty of his character portraits. Subjects range from Northern highways, pick-up trucks, bush pilots and truckers to homesick Maritimers and hockey moms (the latter on a cover of the Stompin’ Tom classic). A fine version of Steve Fromholtz’s "Man With the Big Hat” features another Western hero, Gary Fjellgaard, but Hus’s originals are equally strong. His one slip here is the novelty-esque feel of the lyrics to "Bakersfield Music,” but that’s a little bump on an impressively smooth flight.