Her sophomore effort, Swagger, continues in the tradition of her 2004 debut, E5-770, My Mother’s Name. The album, produced by Chris Shreenan-Dyck who has worked with Blue Rodeo, Kris Kristofferson, and Ron Sexsmith will be released through Sun Rev Records on February 10, 2009. Swagger tackles love, abandonment, loneliness and the search for balance in life. The song Whiskey Breath signaled the end of a bout of writer’s block that Lucie had endured for a year and a half. While on a trip to the Catskill Mountains in northern New York, a friend challenged her to write a song and out of that came Whiskey Breath, the dark, brooding rebirth of Lucie’s writing voice. The song Belly Down tackles the feelings of a small town girl as she gets swallowed by the big city which Lucie describes as “losing in a game she had no business playing”.
The track Lovely Irene is a song greater than the sound of its parts. A rocker on the album that showcases Lucie’s gravelly growl prowess that harkens back to the likes of PJ Harvey, the song was re-recorded as an acoustic track with a children’s choir from Iqaluit as backup singers and very meaningfully re-titled Angel Street. Lucie wrote the song, telling the sad, unfortunate details of her friend Irene, the victim of abuse. The acoustic version, Angel Street, was discovered by the mayor of Iqaluit, Elisapee Sheutiapik, who championed to have the name of the street where the women’s shelter is located renamed Angel Street. Lucie performed the song for Bev Oda and all the Provincial and Territorial Ministers of the Status of Women at a function announcing the renaming of city streets across the country to Angel Street. Several cities have taken it into consideration with Fredericton, NB already on board. Lucie has been amazed by the impact of the song. She wrote from the heart but had no idea that the song would become such a symbol of hope for women and communities across the country. Both versions hold very special meaning to her. The acoustic version of this song can be found in the following short documentary, A Place To Run To, which focuses on the issue of spousal abuse in the North: http://www.explore.org/explore/arctic/films/129.
Swagger is a wealthy collection of songs. "Swagger came to me when I was listening to premixes of all the songs. I had set out to record the perfect driving album, or something that would be worthy of being on a soundtrack, and I wanted it to swagger." Lucie recalls "I'd spent so much time in a funk and unable to write about anything that felt sexy enough to me and then Whiskey Breath came out, and the rest was just like a purging."
In 2007, Lucie opened for The White Stripes in Iqaluit during their in-depth tour of Canada. She opened for the legendary and highly respected Buffy Sainte-Marie at Ottawa’s Westfest earlier this year. She also performed at Quebec City’s 400th Anniversary celebrations with Le Strada. Her first album took her all over Europe, hitting stages of this nation’s finest festivals including the Stan Rogers Folk Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival, Northern Lights Festival and The Great Northern Arts Festival as well as prestigious festivals such as the Tilburg Festival in Germany and the Ravenna Festival in Italy. Last year she was honoured to be chosen as one of fifty Canadian artists to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Canada Council for the Arts. Performing at the Governer General’s Gala, the event encompassed singers, dancers, visual artist, writers, filmmakers and musicians from across the country. Each artist represented a year in the life of the Canada Council, having either won one of the many awards administered by the council or gained a grant to help them continue to do their art.
Lucie is a vibrant and talented singer songwriter with a very promising future. She draws in the listener with the strength of her voice and the power of her words. Her songs cut through the surface and head straight into that place only true artists can touch.
honestly
Lucie Idlout Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you live for truth and honesty
Are you scared of hell and horror
Well you should be
Do you live your life as a victim
Seeking justification for all the wrongs that make you right
Ask yourself, honestly
Do you cherish mother earth
Do you love the man you stand shoulder to shoulder with
Ask yourself, honestly
Do you live your life as a victim
Seeking justification for all the wrongs that make you right
Ask yourself, honestly
Are you stuck in the bottle
Do your strengths lie in violence
Is your rage spoken fiercely
Ask yourself, honestly
Do you live your life as a victim
Seeking justification for all the wrongs that make you right
Ask yourself, honestly
Do you speak against your mother
Have you turned away from your brother
Have you left your blood for the world, is that what makes you
Ask yourself, honestly
Do you live your life as a victim
Seeking justification for all the wrongs that make you right
Ask yourself, honestly.
Lucie Idlout's song "Honestly" calls upon listeners to evaluate their own beliefs and actions. The lyrics ask a series of questions about personal values and behavior, urging introspection and honesty in self-assessment. The first stanza sets the tone for the song by questioning whether fear of eternal damnation keeps people from succumbing to temptation. The second stanza touches on the importance of respecting nature and our fellow human beings.
The third stanza again brings up the idea of living one's life as a victim, looking for reasons to justify one's actions. The fourth stanza asks whether anger and violent tendencies define a person's character. Finally, the song brings up the importance of family and community, wondering whether one's allegiances lie with those closest to them or with the wider world.
Line by Line Meaning
Does the inferno keep you from temptation
Do you avoid doing wrong because you are afraid of punishment?
Do you live for truth and honesty
Do you prioritize being truthful and honest in your life?
Are you scared of hell and horror
Does the prospect of eternal punishment and frightful things intimidate you?
Well you should be
It is reasonable to be afraid of things that can harm you.
Do you live your life as a victim
Do you always see yourself as the victim and justify your actions based on that perception?
Seeking justification for all the wrongs that make you right
Do you rationalize your wrongdoing by thinking that you are right and the world is wrong?
Ask yourself, honestly
Take a moment to reflect and be truthful with yourself.
Do you honor the creator
Do you show respect and reverence to the one who created everything?
Do you cherish mother earth
Do you take care of the planet that we all call home?
Do you love the man you stand shoulder to shoulder with
Do you treat your fellow human beings with kindness and love?
Are you stuck in the bottle
Are you struggling with addiction and finding it hard to break free?
Do your strengths lie in violence
Do you believe that aggression and violence are the only ways to solve problems?
Is your rage spoken fiercely
Do you express your anger loudly and forcefully?
Have you turned away from your brother
Have you abandoned or rejected a sibling or close friend?
Have you left your blood for the world, is that what makes you
Have you left your family behind to pursue your own desires and interests, and is that how you define yourself?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rayirwin2344
Taught Adult Ed a few years back. Used this song in our poetry unit. I hope this artist is doing well with a life filled with love.
@AquillaStar1
beautiful song , beautiful voice !!!
@nayture11
Lucie ROCKS!!!
@lagomortis8270
Gorgeous!
@KoenigVonWestfalen
Great Video, great Song! Lucie deserves much more success. Here in Germany it's hard to get a copy of Swagger which was one of last years CD highlights! Hope to hear much more of you and hope to see you touring throug Europe soon.
@ledgendaryhfxgennyop
Very nice!!
@user-ht4gb2fw4e
more, more! *****
@machpualooashoona9659
Your only Angel.
@slimturnpike
i like this video but the song is a bit of a ripoff of Lucinda Williams' "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road," in lyrics/melody in one section and the tremolo guitar throughout.