Painting musical pictures

“I like contradictions. Art is based on them,” wrote singer/songwriter Luke Doucet in a recent email interview. “My stories seem sad because they were written at a sad time. The music is not quite as much that way because by the time I came to record the songs, I was happy again. Voila... Paradox. Happily. Who wants to listen to maudlin, whiny heartbreak for 45 minutes? Nick Cave?”

Doucet’s sentimental voice (even during more aggressive moments) and elegant songwriting draws you instantly into his world, a world mostly interspersed by the passions of a break up. “I think I divulge much that is personal there,” he admitted.

From the first track, ‘Brother’, to the final note of ‘Get Her Away From Me’, which lingers with beautiful country twang, BROKEN takes you through the hills and valleys of Doucet’s urban life.

Musically, the release is incredibly strong but without lyrics as your guide you would be lost to what Doucet is singing about. The inclusion of lyrics in the CD booklet is a welcome addition; reading them creates a succinct musical experience as the jingly jangle of ‘Free’ plays on, and the sensual guitar/vocal work of ‘Broken One’ with Melissa McClelland’s sweet voice offering up more emotion.

Sitting fully clothed in a bathtub on the front cover speaks to BROKEN’s birth and if you read through the lyrics, the rebirth of Doucet, himself.

“The hard part was recognizing that I’d dedicated something celebratory (music) to something difficult & personal (the demise of a relationship),” said Doucet. “I understand why, & I'm not unhappy about it but it means continuously revisiting much of a past that I would like to forget.”

Doucet admits he’s a bit of sissy, being moved by many things – some predictable some not. He has a deep affection for children, random acts of consideration, and said he probably dwells on politics “more than may be healthy.”

“One day soon, there will be some changes made & the Neocons will cease to monopolize our lives with their Orwellian schemes. No, I'm not a conspiracy theorist,” he wrote.

“I see a lot of good being kept at bay by a lot of greed,” he continued. “I guess that's human nature but I'm not a fan. I hope for big change. Maybe slow, but big.”

No single tune sounds the same on BROKEN, which works perfectly with the essence of the release: each day/event is different that the last, so the music should be the same. There are none of the repetitive trappings found in many releases these days, that’s for sure. The Love Boat stylings of ‘It’s Not The Liquor I Miss’ where horns and jazzy lounge easily relate with the sauntering feel of ‘One Too Many’ followed by the rocked-out ‘Vladivostok’. All flowing perfectly from one to the other.

“I think the music business, or at least the business of touring music, is subterranean in nature,” he said. “One emerges in so many different places so frequently that there is almost a transmogrification process (see: Calvin & Hobbes). My neighbourhood is multi-continental & almost exclusively urban. I like cities because they provide anonymity, which I value because it's essential to observe unobserved to collect data.”

Until they become famous and can no longer be the unobserved, artists like Doucet bring the real into our audio players and into our personal space. Through his music, Doucet offers quite a bit of himself for everyone to hear.

Doucet is on the promotional circuit for BROKEN (and other rogue states), an album that bears constant listening by anyone who loves an emotionally rockin’ 13 tracks of country-inspired music. From the moment this CD made its way into the audio player it has only been ejected to review a few albums for the Spins & Downloads section of this mage-zine.

Doucet and his band headline an eclectic line up at Lee’s Palace Sat. Oct. 22, featuring The FemBots, Whitey Houston, and dance music’s Shout Out Out Out Out. Tickets are $12 in advance/$14 at the door, available through Ticketmaster, Soundscapes, Rotate This, Horseshoe Tavern, and www.sixshooterrecords.com. Doors open at 9 pm, show begins at 10 pm, Luke Doucet takes the stage at midnight.

Photography by Anne Gillespie