Nearly 20 years into his recording career, Colin James has finally figured out who he wants to be when he grows up.

"Van Morrison," offers the 41-year-old singer-guitarist from a hotel room in Ottawa. "I went to see him last year on his 60th birthday -- my wife bought me the tickets for my birthday, which was a couple of weeks earlier -- and I was sitting there watching him and it just struck me: That's what I wanna do.

"I would love to have a career like his, to make records like he does when I'm his age. He's this amazing guy and he's done all these things, but when you see him perform, it's just a blues and R&B revue. That's a really good place to be."

Not that life is especially rough for the former Colin James Munn of Regina. After 10 albums in 18 years, he's a fixture on the Canadian music scene. He's proven himself commercially with singles like ‘Voodoo Thing’ and ‘Just Came Back’ (To Say Goodbye). He's established his artistic credentials with forays into big band swing and Delta blues. And he's comfortable enough in the Limelight that he used it as the title for his latest CD.

The experience and confidence serves him well -- the Colin Linden-produced Limelight is one of James' most consistent and unforced records in years, with a slate of strong originals balanced with well-chosen covers (including two Van Morrison songs). And if none of those tracks turns out to be a hit, James isn't concerned.

"This record wasn't really about getting a hit single. At the end of the day, you wanna make a record that makes you go, 'I love that song.' What's more important to me now is to write my own stuff.

"Over the last four records, I've tried to write as much as I can. It's only recently that I've really been able to enjoy writing. Back in the old days, I hated it. I wasn't doing it because I wanted to; I was doing it for contractual obligations. I had to have eight out of 10 songs on a CD.

"Plus, being in your 20s and being on a major American label, you're told that you have to and write with this person or that person because they wrote a song with somebody like Taylor Dayne. You're constantly chasing your tail in this continuum of failure, which is really disheartening. I remember driving in L.A. and pulling the car over to the side of the road and just being so upset and unhappy I was shaking."

He's still shaking a little, but for a different reason. Despite his track record, James claims to be nervous about his latest tour. The national trek -- which features Linden opening the show and then joining James on slide guitar -- stops at Cowboys tomorrow for his first local gig in more than seven years.

"It's been pretty intense," claims James, who lived in Winnipeg in his late teens and still numbers locals like Dave McLean and Gord Kidder among his friends. "I'm not really doing a whole lot of old material overall. It's not that I hate the old stuff -- I love it when I hear ‘Voodoo Thing’ at a Canucks game -- but I've moved on. Now, the first nine songs in the set are all from Limelight. So you wonder how people are going to react. So far it's been good."

Which is to say: He may want to be Van Morrison one day. But being Colin James will do for now.