LUKE TUCHSCHERER – YOU GET SO ALONE AT TIMES THAT IT JUST MAKES SENSE

2014 – Self
Released
This terrific recording was an ‘Album of the week’ on my radio show a few weeks ago and it’s a real pleasure to say that I’m still playing it, something that more than justifies the decision to treat listeners to three tracks from the album and to keep it around for play lists in the near future.
Luke is also a member of the renowned British alt. country band The Whybirds and has made this excellent debut solo recording from one of the strands of influence that the Whybirds have. Any promotion of the album will bracket it as ‘country’ or perhaps even ‘alt.country,’ maybe alongside albums by artists such as Lyle Lovett but unlike the Whybirds albums this one does not rock but loses nothing in quality, in fact this is quite addictive with it’s powerful story lines and memorable melodies. The album reflects Lukes mellow in tone, acoustic storytelling with the often confessional tales allied to stories of an ordinary life, made extraordinary by his ability to project a believable tale with his writing and vocal qualities. Add the beautifully arranged and selected instrumentation and you have an outstanding album that contains absolutely no filler.
Luke is a terrific lyricist who gains a deep sympathy for his songs leading characters, although it is not just the power of the lyrics. His warm evocative vocal style has a natural dramatic quality and the arrangements couldn’t really be improved upon. Every song on the album is a Luke original that were written over a number of years and yet thematically they blend together as if the idea was a concept album with it’s subject ‘relationships,’ although mainly ones that have finished or are very close to it. None of the instrumentation is overdone, despite the fact that this is not a particularly sparse recording. The instrumentation adds some deep colours to the atmosphere on every song with the steel guitar, banjo and a little twang placing it firmly in the country genre. The album was recorded at different times over a two year period although Luke recorded his vocal and guitar parts in a single day, with the sound being filled out by the other musicians as and when time allowed. Those other guest musicians include fellow Whybirds Dave Banks and Ben Haswell, along with Chris Corney, solo artist as well as membership of The Ravines, Nick Mailing of the Quireboys, Max Hart, a member of We Are Scientists as well as helping Katy Perry and Simon Rinaldo who is a member of Pearl Handled Revolver and finally produced by Tom Peters, who also plays drums on the album. It is a tribute to all concerned that the album blends as well as it does, with the continuity on show echoing something that had been recorded in one day!
Things get underway with (Lord knows) I’m A Bad Man with its lovely dobro and percussive thump starting the song off powerfully before being joined by Lukes stirring vocals articulating an intensely dramatic tale of a man who knows he must change to keep his lover, but also knows he probably can’t! That is followed by a tale that is a little reminiscent of Lyle Lovett . It is titled When Day Is Done and is propelled by a gorgeous steel guitar and shuffling percussion allied to Lukes warm expressive vocals. One Of Us is an incredibly sad, almost cinematic in scope, story song of a family living on or just over the edge of poverty and hardship. The lovely banjo, mandolin and keyboards, with Lukes evocative vocal adds extra drama to an already intenesely dramatic and epic tale. (To Make It Worse) I’m Falling In Love Again begins with a lovely mellow acoustic guitar and violin that keep the song on a haunting reflective plane and Lukes vocal full of emotion, with a nice harmonica sound being added to the haunting mix on the story of someone who is, almost fearfully, falling in love again. Two Ships (Caroline Please) is an (almost) mid tempo country rocker about ‘ships that pass in the night,’ despite the fact that he wants more than this, with it’s jangling guitars adding a nice variety to these addictive tales. Finally, Darling It’s Just Too Hard To Love is a, beautiful mellow in tone but lyrically heavy, reflection on a lost love. It starts with a sparse instrumentation but a twangy electric guitar comes in and the tale, even without vocals, takes on an even more emotional quality.
If this is just a one off solo album that he needed to get out of his system before returning to the Whybirds it is one he should be incredibly proud of. This is not just a recording that enables him to take a break, it is a fully formed ‘debut album’ by an incredibly talented solo singer songwriter for whom a successful future should beckon. Depending on this albums success he may have to make a difficult decision. Let’s just hope it entails solo and Whybird albums, then we have the best of both worlds!
http://www.luketuchscherer.co.uk/
This terrific recording was an ‘Album of the week’ on my radio show a few weeks ago and it’s a real pleasure to say that I’m still playing it, something that more than justifies the decision to treat listeners to three tracks from the album and to keep it around for play lists in the near future.
Luke is also a member of the renowned British alt. country band The Whybirds and has made this excellent debut solo recording from one of the strands of influence that the Whybirds have. Any promotion of the album will bracket it as ‘country’ or perhaps even ‘alt.country,’ maybe alongside albums by artists such as Lyle Lovett but unlike the Whybirds albums this one does not rock but loses nothing in quality, in fact this is quite addictive with it’s powerful story lines and memorable melodies. The album reflects Lukes mellow in tone, acoustic storytelling with the often confessional tales allied to stories of an ordinary life, made extraordinary by his ability to project a believable tale with his writing and vocal qualities. Add the beautifully arranged and selected instrumentation and you have an outstanding album that contains absolutely no filler.
Luke is a terrific lyricist who gains a deep sympathy for his songs leading characters, although it is not just the power of the lyrics. His warm evocative vocal style has a natural dramatic quality and the arrangements couldn’t really be improved upon. Every song on the album is a Luke original that were written over a number of years and yet thematically they blend together as if the idea was a concept album with it’s subject ‘relationships,’ although mainly ones that have finished or are very close to it. None of the instrumentation is overdone, despite the fact that this is not a particularly sparse recording. The instrumentation adds some deep colours to the atmosphere on every song with the steel guitar, banjo and a little twang placing it firmly in the country genre. The album was recorded at different times over a two year period although Luke recorded his vocal and guitar parts in a single day, with the sound being filled out by the other musicians as and when time allowed. Those other guest musicians include fellow Whybirds Dave Banks and Ben Haswell, along with Chris Corney, solo artist as well as membership of The Ravines, Nick Mailing of the Quireboys, Max Hart, a member of We Are Scientists as well as helping Katy Perry and Simon Rinaldo who is a member of Pearl Handled Revolver and finally produced by Tom Peters, who also plays drums on the album. It is a tribute to all concerned that the album blends as well as it does, with the continuity on show echoing something that had been recorded in one day!
Things get underway with (Lord knows) I’m A Bad Man with its lovely dobro and percussive thump starting the song off powerfully before being joined by Lukes stirring vocals articulating an intensely dramatic tale of a man who knows he must change to keep his lover, but also knows he probably can’t! That is followed by a tale that is a little reminiscent of Lyle Lovett . It is titled When Day Is Done and is propelled by a gorgeous steel guitar and shuffling percussion allied to Lukes warm expressive vocals. One Of Us is an incredibly sad, almost cinematic in scope, story song of a family living on or just over the edge of poverty and hardship. The lovely banjo, mandolin and keyboards, with Lukes evocative vocal adds extra drama to an already intenesely dramatic and epic tale. (To Make It Worse) I’m Falling In Love Again begins with a lovely mellow acoustic guitar and violin that keep the song on a haunting reflective plane and Lukes vocal full of emotion, with a nice harmonica sound being added to the haunting mix on the story of someone who is, almost fearfully, falling in love again. Two Ships (Caroline Please) is an (almost) mid tempo country rocker about ‘ships that pass in the night,’ despite the fact that he wants more than this, with it’s jangling guitars adding a nice variety to these addictive tales. Finally, Darling It’s Just Too Hard To Love is a, beautiful mellow in tone but lyrically heavy, reflection on a lost love. It starts with a sparse instrumentation but a twangy electric guitar comes in and the tale, even without vocals, takes on an even more emotional quality.
If this is just a one off solo album that he needed to get out of his system before returning to the Whybirds it is one he should be incredibly proud of. This is not just a recording that enables him to take a break, it is a fully formed ‘debut album’ by an incredibly talented solo singer songwriter for whom a successful future should beckon. Depending on this albums success he may have to make a difficult decision. Let’s just hope it entails solo and Whybird albums, then we have the best of both worlds!
http://www.luketuchscherer.co.uk/