For those tired of modern country rock and are yearning for a more substantial, traditional-country sounding album Tim Hus’ Western Star is the way to go.
Tim Hus’ album moves further away from the mainstream country-rock sounds of popular country today and is more reminiscent of the neo-traditionalist country music that was being released in the 1980s.
It’s also comparable to the music of the 1990s and the sounds of Garth Brooks, and early Paul Brandt and Brooks and Dunn. Thrown in are doses of honky-tonk and the sub-genre truck driving country.
However, Western Star isn’t solely a fast-paced trip through a time machine. Hus is also able to slip into softer songs while staying true to his bluegrass-esque honky-tonk crooning.
Track four, Church of County Music, is the perfect example of Hus slowing things down, allowing listeners to take a breather and really soak in what he’s saying and the meaning, intelligence and diversity that comes with the album.
Many of Hus’ songs, including the title song and track one Western Star, are a bunch of rollicking, fast-talking with the objective of pumping up the album for a good time. But just when you think that’s all there is, Hus brings in the balance with songs of substance and amazing imagery.
This back-to-basics album is anything but boring as Hus is able to weave a world and story into each of his songs, from truckers blaring down the highways to rustic country churches filled with weathered faced and Stetson hats.
Hus’ talent goes beyond his ability of storytelling; his voice is perfect for county, and with complete unity through every aspect of the album, that finishing touch pushes it past the edge of perfection.