Swagger ***
Sun Rev
Swagger, the second album from blues rocker Lucie Idlout, does just what the title claims to. Its opening track, “Berlin” finds the Nunavut-bred singer crooning an ode to a disastrous relationship (or one night stand?), that’s perfectly suited to Idlout’s low, stormy voice. Relationships gone wrong recur through the album, with songs like “You (Devil)” and “Lovely Irene,” about a woman escaping an abusive partner. It also packs a few surprises, like “For You,” which sounds tender and sweet until you realize Idlout is singing, “Not for you / I won’t be there for you.” But despite its heavy subject matter, most of Swagger is catchy, feel-good rock. It won’t blow you away with poetry or invention, but it’s good music to stride, or swagger, down the street to.
