Posted on: August 14, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

There is a heavy amount of country influence during the opening of “What We Whisper”. The composition that starts off the disc is “You Knew It Well”, and the country sound comes in when the lap steel washes over the composition. There is a hint more of country when Lucas sings; eir style is like a blend of Johnny Cash and Chris Isaak. The slow tempo of the first track sets up the atmosphere for the track, creating a slow, plodding tone that has hints of negative emotions throughout. The soulful singing of Lucas during this track will remind listeners of Cash during eir last few years on the planet. The long runtime of “You Knew It Well” may turn off individuals from continuing with the disc, but the skillful arrangements present on the track will allow listeners to hang on for the entire track.

Most time, individuals would not want to put6 the two longest tracks of the disc back to back to open that album, but Lucas is able enough to use these tracks to set up the demeanor for the rest of the disc. This plodding tempo is something that is present through the entirety of the disc. The disc feels more like the soundtrack for a film noir movie than anything; the only thing that I could easily compare it to would have to be the skillfully-crafted soundtrack for “Natural Born Killers”.

The use of a female vocalist during “Fall in Love Wrong” is another smart move for Lucas, as most of the tracks dealing with love in popular music do not allow for more than one viewpoint to be shown. By allowing Lucas’ vocals to be bolstered by the female set of vocals, a different sound is given while keeping the same framework as was present on previous tracks. The twinkling piano line during “The Pills” give Lucas’ vocals a more Dean Martin meets lounge singer type of style. While the arrangement gets back into the country-infused groove, there is enough material breaking with precedent to keep individuals ramped up and ready to go for the rest of the disc. Jeffrey Luck Lucas makes a rock-solid album that is poppy without being deficient in soul; “What We Whisper” is the album that will be in the player of anyone who misses the day of alt-county or “Baby Did A Bad Thing”. Pick this album up.

Top Tracks: The Pills, You Knew It Well

Rating: 6.8/10

Jeffrey Luck Lucas – What We Whisper / 2006 Antebellum / 10 Tracks / http://www.jeffreylucklucas.com / http://www.antebellumrecords.com / Reviewed 07 August 2006

[JMcQ]

Leave a Comment