This article was originally published on beingtheremag.com, an independent music and film magazine that ran from 2004 to 2007. It is presented here as part of the Being There Magazine archive.
By Adam Anklewicz | Being There Magazine, November/December 2005
Artist: LUKE DOUCET | Label: Six Shooter Recordings
Alt.Country rocker Luke Doucet releases his third solo record, Broken (and other rogue states), and it’s a heartbreaker. Break-up albums are always hit or miss; it’s hard to capture emotions that strong in song without hitting cliché, but Doucet fortunately avoids this on Broken. “If I wallow here / it’s my history to burn / these are my lessons to learn,” sings Doucet on the sparse and elegant “Wallow.” With beautifully simple acoustic guitar chiming and an uncomplicated melody, Doucet creates a song the audience can easily lose themselves in.
While he can create such beauty, he can also create songs that leave a lot to be desired, such as the following track “It’s Not The Liquor I Miss.” “It’s not the liquor I miss / but I’ve got a broken heart / I’ve got a broken heart,” yeah I get it, you have a broken heart, that’s what the entire album is about, you don’t need to spell it out. The cheesy saxophone at the end of the song only kills any redeeming quality to the song.
Not all of the songs are about the heartbroken soul. Doucet sings in “Brother” about his sibling’s drug dealing. Fictional or not, this opening track sets the album’s sombre but quirky tone. “Brother oh brother will I see you again?” asks Doucet in this, one of the album’s highlights. Later on the album he again leaves the topic of his lost love with “Vladivostok.” Unfortunately it’s not nearly as humorous or entertaining. The repetitive riff and unoriginal melody make for one of the most boring songs on the record. It sounds like something Sugar Ray would have recorded, ugh.
“Broken One” puts Doucet on the offensive, “you’ve gotta have a heart to have a broken one,” he sings half-heartedly. Melissa McClelland’s harmony vocals enhance this already great song into something truly special. Doucet’s songwriting shines the most on this song with lyrics like, “I need a girl like you like a stolen car.” The biggest setback to this song is that Doucet doesn’t sound like he means these cruel words.
The kind of weight I’d normally expect from a break-up song is never carried across with Doucet’s vocals. For instance, on Belle & Sebastian’s “I’m Waking Up To Us,” you can hear really hear the spite and love in Stuart Murdoch’s voice when he sings, “you like yourself and you like men / to kiss your arse.”
Doucet’s songwriting is uneven and could greatly benefit from an outside producer, but when Doucet hits his highs, he gets very high. Unfortunately, the same could be said about his lows.