Canadian singer-songwriter Lucette bears her soul on her sophomore release, Deluxe Hotel Room, produced by Sturgill Simpson. Checking in at a mere 29 minutes, this music is so searing and impactful, the short dose is plenty; it makes its mark. Simpson’s name obviously conjures country, but Lucette’s sound is more about fusing R&B, pop and soul. Her voice and lyrics linger in your head for days after just one listen. Her lyrics are informed by love, loss, and battling depression and anxiety. She lays it all out there. It’s a brilliant sound – attracting listeners from several genres. Lucette is backed by Simpson’s band, with New Orleans saxophonist Brad Walker in the supporting star role.
Lucette, aka Lauren Gillis, made her mark in 2014 with the Dave Cobb-produced debut Black is the Color which featured the breakout murder ballad “Bobby Reid” that was featured on the Netflix special Nanette and has since garnered over 4 million Spotify streams. Being Canadian, Lucette is naturally influenced by two of the country’s best songwriters, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. It’s fair to say though, that her style is still evolving. Here she’s incorporated synth lines, drum-machine beats, and that deeply soulful saxophone to effectively bridge tradition and contemporary.
Her lyrics are poignant descriptions of raw emotions. The second track, “Out of the Rain,” which may be the linchpin track, is a song about a breakup that informed much of the album, and it has perhaps Walker’s best sax solo. Lucette says, “{It} came from experiencing freedom from such a negative relationship, and then having that feeling of freedom wear off while I was out on tour. It was bittersweet because I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing, but I just felt alone and vulnerable and sort of bluesy about the whole situation.” Here’s how her lyrics capture some of that – “When you’re as lonely as I am/Thinking about all your lost lovers/There’s no use in crying or wondering/Who was to blame …When you’re as lonely as I am/ You make up excuses to suffer/or could there be someone/To help me get out of the rain.”
Lucette wrote the title track in view of the pain and loneliness she’s experienced in hotel rooms along with her fellow women in the entertainment industry. No, it’s not all gloomy as you’ll hear in “Angel” where she’s clearly smitten by a prospective lover. “Full Moon Town,” though, is a disturbing portrait of small town living – (“Beauty shop gossip spreads/Quicker than water gets you wet/Deeper than the river runs red/In a Full Moon Town”) but the sax-infused “Fly to Heaven” and the bright “California” nod to escape and the afterlife. “Crazy Bird’ introduces some psychedelia mixed with gospel. It’s the uneasy thrill of falling for someone larger-than-life and impossible to figure out. Another standout track is “Talk to Myself,” a deeply introspective view on mental health, with one of her most powerful vocal performances. “Lover Don’t Give Up on Me” closes as a stripped-down piano ballad that summarizes the emotions of the effort – quiet grief in longing for the person who is difficult to reach.
Yes, this is confessional song writing but it’s done in the spirit of helping others who have felt similar emotions. She’s baring her soul in a selfless manner, hoping to help others move forward. The sound of Lucette is appropriately contemplative and reflective. It stands apart from most.
Photo by Fairlight Hubbard/Courtesy of the artist
