Lucille – Album Review
Lucille are a rhythm and blues trio. The band is made up of Scott Greensmith (vocals and guitar), Carl North (vocals and double bass) and Ben Tennet (drums). In July Lucille signed a deal with Derby-based label Hoodwink Recordings to release their debut album.
After reviewing Lucille’s single Losin’ My Mind, the band asked me if I would review their whole EP. Having listened to the EP a few times now I’ve come to the conclusion that these guys are incredibly talented!
The EP contains seven tracks. The first track, Ain’t It A Shame, has a seriously catchy intro to it and a rock and roll feel that you don’t hear much of these days. Scott and Carl’s voices blended together well.
The second track, Ain’t got no home, has a bassier vibe to it, but at the same time, it is still a song that you can easily tap your feet to. One thing I noticed about the band and this EP is that all of the tracks hit the nail on the head with the rhythm. Scott, Carl and Ben are so in sync with one another, which makes their music effortlessly brilliant; especially considering this genre of music isn’t noticed much anymore. This track has yet another catchy melody which stays with you. You can’t help but find yourself singing along. The cymbal crash at the end is golden.
I expected the third track, Awful Things, to be slower but surprisingly it wasn’t. I think this song is possibly one of my favourites on the EP. Within one listen, I was singing the chorus along with them. Carl gives the song some soul too alongside some light keys in the background.
As I’ve already reviewed Losin My Mind I won’t say much about this song except that having listened to it again, I love it just that little bit more. Yet again, Scott and Carl’s voices merge together perfectly and the guitar and keyboard solos really showcase the amount of talent in this band.
The fifth track, Time’s All Gone, really impressed me if I’m honest. It has a sultry vibe and is something you’d expect to hear on the show Mad Men. The song itself is very 1950’s. The actual music in the background has a psychedelic vibe too although strangely this fits with the lyrics. Saying this, I still found it quite mysterious and I wanted more. This song is probably another favourite of mine even if it does sound like it belongs to a crime drama show.
The first time I heard the sixth track, Fair To Middlin’, I got a serious country vibe, especially at the beginning of the song. But the track turned into a funky soulful jam. I could imagine line dancing to it. I really liked the guitar solo mid-song – very rock and roll.
After waiting for the last track, My Baby’s Gone, to kick in, I was a little bewildered. For the first minute or so I felt like I was at an open mic night with the music very light in the background and the vocals on full. Then when the music kicked in, the vibe changed completely. After a lot of cymbal crashes, the lyrics made their way back in with the quiet backing music. The calling back really makes the song what it is and defines the band’s old school genre. Although this track was a bit longer than the rest, it fit perfectly in last place on the EP, leaving on a good note and ending the whole experience.
I’m not usually a fan of Rhythm and Blues music but this EP has just made me one. Lucille’s album The Sounds of Lucille is available to buy now. For more information about the band you can visit their Facebook page at ‘the bandlucille’ or follow them on Twitter @lucillebanduk.
