For the second time in three reviews I’ve rolled a record from 2008 that I’ve owned for a very long time. The last time I reviewed this artist was just under 100 reviews (96) and just over one year (376 days) ago. I’ve missed you, Luke!
Disc 1760 is…Blood’s Too Rich
Artist: Luke Doucet
Year of Release: 2008
What’s up with the Cover? Part bird, part man, all hipster.
How I Came To Know It: I heard about Luke Doucet when he opened for Blue Rodeo. It was around 2008, and while I can’t remember with certainty, I think this was the first album of his we owned.
How It Stacks Up: I have three Luke Doucet albums. I like them all and while “Blood’s Too Rich” has some of my all-time favourite Luke Doucet songs, it can only land second behind 2010’s “Steel City Trawler” for reasons I shall discuss anon.
Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4
“Blood’s Too Rich” showcases Luke Doucet’s two great talents – songwriting and guitar playing – and it showcases them both in spades. I never tired of his songwriting but there were moments where the guitar work – great as it is - was too much of a good thing.
At his best, Doucet is like the second coming of Blue Rodeo. Blue Rodeo wrote the book on their distinctly Canadian blend of rock, blues and folk and Doucet sets himself up as their natural heirs.
This is never more evident than on the record’s title track, which features the high crooning quality of Jim Cuddy, and the natural “one more step up” melodic structures fans of Cuddy’s songwriting will recognize. That said, Doucet is not derivative, just appreciative. “Blood’s Too Rich” is a beautiful and original sounding song in the same style. Best of many lines:
“Because my blood's too rich for subway cars, and I'm too poor for a
cab
I'm too old for the girl I love but she doesn't know it yet”
Good stuff. In addition to his penchant for a clever turn of phrase, Doucet adds his own unique sound through his guitar work. On “Blood’s Too Rich” this is a low echoing resonance that is a signature sound throughout his work. He achieves this sound on a Gretsch White Falcon, a big hollow body electric guitar designed for big, bold bluesy twang.
Doucet’s later playing on “Cleveland” shows he’s able to drop a
bit of slow hand into the mix with equal talent. “Cleveland” is one of
the record’s best songs, and also features Doucet’s airy vocals at their best.
“Cleveland” also features one of the main reasons this record is only my second favourite though. There’s about three and a half minutes of verse/chorus action followed by a couple more minutes of sublime soloing…followed by a couple more minutes of soloing. That last couple was a couple too many. Doucet plays a mean guitar, but he doesn’t always know when to say when. This results in an album that is only 12 songs, but a full 63 minutes. 80% of the time the noodling is welcome, but I cannot honestly overlook that extra 20%.
My other gripe is the decision to cover “The Lovecats”. I realize for many this is a favourite Cure song, but I find it annoying both in original form and here as a cover. Much better is his cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown” on Steel City Trawler”.
These are minor quibbles though, on a record that has much to recommend it, including songwriting, melodic structure, great guitar work (even when it goes on a bit) and a surprising amount of variation to sound dynamics and production that all still fits together. It’s the record of an artist that makes you want to hear more of him, which is exactly what happened, as I followed his career through later albums and ultimately into his Whitehorse project with fellow singer-songwriter (and wife) Melissa McLelland.
Doucet is great as one half of Whitehorse and has been for years, but his early solo days are also worth your time.
Best tracks: Long Haul Driver, Blood’s Too Rich, Cleveland, Bomb’s Away
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