1. Somebody Loves You
2. Singing Man
3. Resting Place
4. Shoulders
5. Wash My Sins Away
6. Fountain of Youth
7. She Did
8. Life I've Got
9. Precious Little Heart
10. Go West
11. Farewell
Indiana native Austin Lucas is the latest in a long line of punks-gone-country (Greg Graffin, Tim Barry, Chuck Ragan, Ben Nichols, etc...), in what is an ever-increasing trend. But where his peers tend to lean more towards the folk-end of the country spectrum, Lucas adopts the high and lonesome falsetto of old-time hillbilly and bluegrass, setting him apart, and arguably above, his punk brethren.
But whereas his punk peers turn to country and folk because their ears are beginning to bleed, Lucas' destiny was always going to be a combination of the genres, helped along by his musical pedigree.
Raised in a musical household, Lucas' father Bob was busy working with Alison Krauss, whilst Austin was performing in the Indiana University Choir. Lucas fell into the punk crowd and wound up playing bass for grind band Twenty Third Chapter, providing vocals for crust band Rune, and taking on the role of vocalist/guitarist for the Czech prog-punk outfit, The K10 Prospect.
All this background information helps put Lucas' third solo full-length into context.
The first line on the lead and title track is Lucas' battlecry; "Easy there old man or I'll drop you where you stand...". It's an opening line that stamps the singers' intentions; if you were settling in for another middle-of-the-road alt.country experience, best re-adjust that expectation as Lucas will tell you the way it is, whether you want to hear it or not.
'Somebody Loves You' is scathing in it's criticism of a religious leader who he himself admired as a young man. But Lucas' willingness to then turn the camera on himself as he says that those who love him are fools for believing his lies.
'Go West' is more typical in theme, if not structure. Granted, lost love has explored in country music time and time again, but rarely has it felt so genuine. "Go west Emily, grab your boots and find yourself somewhere / I'll find another lover in the east"
'Shoulders' uses a combination of religious and familial imagery in it's description of another country staple; sin and redemption.
Joined by his father, sister Chloe Manor, Todd Beene (Lucero) and Chris Westhoff (Our Lady of Bells/Bone Orchard Revival), Lucas' music is as ethereal as it is grounded in tradition. The melodies here can be complex, but the harmonies are as sweet as those found in the Appalachian mountains. Lucas' dextrous finger-pickin' defies his punk heritage, as does his sentimentality. It's this constant struggle of opposites (simple/complicated, gentle/hardened, critical/introspective, God/The devil) that makes 'Somebody Loves You' such an important album. Not to mention the much needed kick in alt.country's arse.
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