Tim Hus Album Review

This album from Calgary singer/songwriter Tim Hus is his 5th album. The album is called "Hockeytown" and was released a few weeks ago on Stony Plain Records. The album is the most Canadiana album I have heard since Stompin' Tom used to release albums on a consistent basis.

Speaking of Stompin', you can't help but compare Tim Hus to him. Tim's songs cover all kinds of Canadian subjects and his singing sounds a lot like Stompin' Tom. With song titles like "Canadian Pacific" about the CPR railway, "Hockeytown" which could be about any town or city in Canada. The title song is a great hockey song, there seems to be a few more songs being written about our national sport these days. It used to just be Stompin's Hockey Song, but now you have Mike Plumes "More Than A Game" song and now Tim's "Hockeytown" song, which is also a great song. Tim Hus covers a lot of Provines in his songs, like "Red River"(Manitoba), "Saskatchewan Son-Of-A-Gun" which is obvious with this hilarious opening line "The prairie is a place you can watch your dog run away for days" to this great chorus,

"I'm a Pilsner drinkin',whitetail huntin'
Purple burnin',stubble jumpin'
Slough boggin',prarie doggin'
Rod and reelin',snowmobilin'
Genuine big sky son-of-a-gun
From Saskatchewan"

Other songs about Provinces are the Newfie song "North Atlantic Trawler" about the atrocity of the fishing industry in said province, the Ontario song would be "Hamilton Steel" about of course the steel industry in Hamilton, the British Columbia song "Sasquatch Hunter" is another great song with a sense of humour about hunting for, well,Sasquatch of course. This verse in the song will give you an idea of how funny this song is,

"I tracked him up to the snowy peaks
Along the ridge and down to the creek
Beyond the fire lookout station
Right on through a marijuana plantation
I followed him to the Okanagan Lake
And I found the Ogopogo by mistake
The two of them were sittin' right there
Smokin' cigars and drinkin' my beer"

The Nova Scotia song would be "Home Of Hank Snow", The song "Country Music Lament" would be about the sorry state of country music, especially the shit they play on the radio. The album closes out with the Tom Wilson written song "Talkin' Saskatoon Blues" all and all a really good album. I would give this album an 8 out of 10. Good stuff!!!

In concert news... Tim Hus will be opening for Stompin' Tom Connors here in Edmonton on Tuesday August 31st at The Jubilee Auditorium. Tim has been touring with Stompin' for a while now, you can sure tell he has been hanging with him and his highly influenced Tim's song writing.