Cabin Fever

There aren't many country artists other than Corb Lund who would open an album with a song as apocalyptic as "Gettin' Down on the Mountain." But challenging the stereotype of the cowboy singer has always made Lund unique. He continues to do just that on Cabin Fever, Lund's seventh album with his Hurtin' Albertans, who at this point have to be considered one of the tightest bands anywhere. While the 12 tracks play out in Lund's familiar fashion of odes to serious drinking ("Pour 'Em Kinda Strong"), true life tales ("Bible on the Dash") and Shel Silverstein-esque humour ("Cows Around") there's a noticeably darker tinge to Cabin Fever. As the title suggests, Lund conceived the album in isolation while dealing with the end of a long-term relationship, along with the death of a close family member. That pain is palpable on plaintive ballads "September" and "One Left in the Chamber," but the loose studio atmosphere also gives the band plenty of room to rock on "Dig Gravedigger Dig" and Lund's tribute to his BMW motorcycle, "Mein Deutsches Motorrad." It all adds up to Lund's most well rounded album to date, with an equal appeal to country and rock fans alike.
-Jason Schneider, Exclaim