It was around ten years ago I became aware of Lucie Silvas’ burgeoning talent. I remember listening to ‘Breathe In’ on Radio 2, and even at 15 I was very much enamored with her smooth yet strong vocals in a song which had such energy and zest in it. Shortly after turning 16 I purchased her debut album and that was pretty much all I listened to for the best part of three months. Although it was a pop album, albeit one that remained in the top 40 album charts for at least a week, Lucie’s songs had an unusually high quality throughout, ‘Without You’ and ‘Twisting The Chain’ a couple of the album cuts well worth a listen.
So here we are ten years later and I’m sat reviewing her new self titled EP for a country music website, isn’t it funny how things change over time? Having followed her career closely it hasn’t come as much of a surprise to me, as it perhaps will others that she’s ended up following the direction she has.
Lucie Silvas, in my view has never received the commercial success she’s deserved in her recording career. Her last album ‘The Same Side’ was criminally under-promoted and as a result didn’t make the impact on the album charts that it should have done. Despite this, Lucie is in many senses an artist’s artist, as for years she has penned songs for various pop artists including Gareth Gates and Rachel Stevens in the early 00’s, and more recently written with the likes of The Saturdays and Delta Goodrem. She has been for some time thought of highly by her peers.
Lucie’s qualities as a songwriter have started to gain some appreciation across the pond, in part aided by her personal relationships. For a couple of years now she has been in a relationship with John Osborne (From the Brothers Osborne), and counts songwriters such as Jon Green and Jamie Floyd (another singer-songwriter worth checking out) as good friends, while she’s also written and performed with another friend Kacey Musgraves, a name which many of you will be familiar with.
Her self-titled EP, produced by John Osborne and Ian Fitchuk, provides five tracks which prove to be a tantalizing glimpse of what’s to come on her next full album release. Having heard the demo sung with the aid of an acoustic guitar, it was hardly a song that need a full ‘country’ makeover, and with the addition of some backing vocals and a banjo becoming particularly prominent in the chorus, ‘Letters To Ghosts’ is an up-tempo track that makes you click your fingers and stamp your feet. Lyrically the song is as sound as I’d expect from Lucie, telling the story of a love that can never be truly hers and the extent to which it plays on her mind. ‘With my cold heart burned in the dirt, his love is the only thing that still hurts, it would be yours now if the tabled turned.’ Her ability to integrate darker emotions and feelings into a fast paced song is apparent. The chorus is strong and memorable. ‘I can’t let go, of someone I wanted the most, still on fire and I’m writing letters to ghosts.. if I was stronger you’d be holding me close, but this love has got me stoned.” As opposed to songs imploring you to ‘slide on over here’ and ‘show me your money maker’ this is a refreshing change of tact, with songs such as ‘Lonely Tonight’ by Blake Shelton and Ashley Monroe currently charting well, and further back ‘Stronger’ by Sara Evans, country listeners do tend to like songs of this type.
When reading the press release for this EP Lucie was described as having a “A resonant voice sounds like she was weaned in the Tennessee hills.” It’s hard to disagree, her raspy voice has always made her stand out vocally in my opinion. If you’ve ever had a chance to listen to some of her demo/unreleased tracks ‘Smoke’, ‘Sliding Down’, or ‘Better Love Next Time’ you’ll know what I mean. The second track on the EP ‘Shame’ epitomizes the controlled rawness of her voice. From the first few chords you would think you were sat in a Nashville bar listening to some local artist. ‘Shame’ really shows the extent of the influence that country has had on her music.
‘Shame’ is probably the most daunting and dark of all the tracks. Her smoky voice really shines in a haunting song about the various lows that people can hit in their lives. The first line sets the tone ‘She got married too young, he had a short fuse and devils tongue, shattered her dreams one by one.” Abusive relationships are hardly a new subject in country music, but the intensity and almost cold-hearted manner the opening lines are delivered in sets an eerie theme. Preachers on a rebound and ‘Gossip travelling at the speed of sound.’ This is not your flowers and roses kind of song and contains some pretty grim stuff, with the best line in the song being ‘She found comfort in a little pill, tried to kick the habit but she never will, now her kids go looking for the same thrill.’ For those who have been watching the TV show Nashville this is reminiscent of the relationship between Juliette and her mother.
‘How To Lose It All’ features the story of some poor fellow who’s fallen in love with a crazy girl who muses, ‘How many buildings can I burn down, kicking through the ashes is all I know now.” However the love and passion she shares is evident, ‘You’re a pretty little picture in a perfect frame, you put your cards on the table no fear no shame.’ The chorus of the song hits pretty quickly, and is repeated three times, but each increasing in speed and marginal difference in word play which makes it feel not so repetitive. Lucie has always had a dry sense of humor and the chorus says as much “Stick with me I’ll teach you how to lose it all, don’t know ’bout flying, but I’ll teach you how to fall.” ‘How To Lose It All’ fits the country/pop category quite nicely and if promoted correctly can see this being a big hit for Lucie.
The next track ‘Unbreakable Us’ is textbook Lucie Silvas, as someone who made her name with songs such as ‘What You’re Made Of’ and ‘Forget Me Not’, a Silvas record would not be complete without a love song delivered with real emotion and feeling. The subject of love in a song can take many different forms, and it is perhaps fair to say that many songs seems to verge more into outright lust within its lyrics. However many country hits in the past have just been about sticking together through the tough times, and having a resolute ‘Stand By Your Man’ kind of attitude. “You’re not made of stones and I’m just skin and bones, but we’re like an army together.” The chorus of the track sees Lucie muse that ‘Even a road of gold is bound to get rough… whatever it is ain’t strong enough to break unbreakable us.”
The final track on the EP ‘Roots’ has actually been out and about on the internet for a couple of years now. Written with Jabe Beyer and Jamie Floyd, it goes in a slightly different direction to the rest of the EP musically. ‘Roots’ grapples with the idea of leaving something that has become part of you in order to pursue something else, whether that be home, friends, loved ones etc. ‘I could pull them up but that’s all that’s left of me, there is fear in the thought of freedom.‘ Lucie has been in her own words ‘Emotionally and personally involved’ in the making of this EP, and ‘Roots’ more then any other song on the EP makes me want to understand the story behind it. ‘Roots’ lyrically displays a scenario of experiencing internal strife and confusion with life. Haven’t we all felt that?
Like a fine wine Lucie Silvas seems to get better with age, her story telling qualities in her song-writing and her raspy smoky voice should be well suited to the Nashville music scene. Lucie’s self titled EP is one that should satisfy her existing fan-base, an incredibly loyal and dedicated bunch might I add, but will also win her new fans across the pond. The highlights of what is a very strong EP, ‘Letters To Ghosts’ and ‘How To Lose it All’ shows the growing influence of country in her music.
It is far to soon to categorize Lucie as a distinctly country artist, as her musical palette is far to varied to pin her down to a specific category as of yet. However with the influence of John Osborne and Kacey Musgraves both now well known stars in country music, one would suspect country is growing in her everyday.
You may not perceive this to be a traditional country record, but if you fancy a break from beers and trucks, have a dose of some real shit and buy this EP. ‘Lucie Silvas’ is out now in the USA and Canada and released in the UK on the 9th February.
