Lucky flirting with country on latest album
Songwriter ‘just trying to do what feels right’
In some music circles, country is a dirty word. Saskatoon musician Zachary Lucky admits he used to be afraid of the style himself. But his latest album, The Ballad of Losing You, draws on the genre and proves there was nothing to fear.
“Country music’s in my blood. My grandfather was a country singer and never really got to delve into that. I wish I would have enjoyed the music I do now back then because I could have played with him,” he said.
It’s a natural progression for Lucky’s sound. His 2012 album, Saskatchewan, introduced the pedal steel after his more orchestral album Come and Gone.
The country elements are unmistakable, but that doesn’t make it a country album.
“To me this still isn’t country,” he said. “I’m just trying to do what feels right.”
That doesn’t mean he’s opposed to a cowboy hat, though.
He found the perfect one for $30 and has been wearing it at most shows and on his album cover.
“I walked into the shop and it was right in the middle of the wall. It fit, it was the right colour and it was 50 per cent off. I thought ‘Me and this hat were meant to be together.’ ”
The Ballad of Losing You wasn’t the album Lucky originally set out to make. He wrote a full record, but life happened and most of that material was shelved.
The new songs are ballads, several with a 3/4 time signature, about heartbreak and so much more.
Lucky’s own truths rest alongside storytelling. The arrangements are simple and beautiful and let Lucky’s deep voice take the spotlight.
For his sixth album, he wanted to make sure to do it right, after years of recording in basements and bedrooms.
“I always wonder how many more songs I’ll write, so when I’ve got something I really like I wanted to try and do it the way I thought it should be done instead of just cutting corners,” he said.
Lucky recorded at Chad Mason’s Sinewave Studio near Perdue, Sask, Mason, a punk musician who has worked with instrumental metal band Shooting Guns, had never really listened to music like Lucky’s.
It was a risk, but the pair turned out to be a good match. Both men are analog enthusiasts so they recorded the album on tape, capturing a warm sound.
Lucky recruited a few guest singers to play on the album. Saskatoon’s Karrnnel Sawitsky plays the fiddle sections and Toronto musician Aaron Goldstein contributes the pedal steel. Both men were available for a single day and were able to track their parts in five or six hours.
Ben Hadaller and Chris Prpich also contributed parts.
“I feel very fortunate to have all of those guys on the record. They make me sound good,” Lucky said with a laugh.
Lucky is also working with a publicist and a label, Pigeon Row, for the first time in an effort to focus more on the artistic parts of being a musician. After years of doing it all on his own, it’s not easy to let people in, but Lucky said he’s glad to have them in his corner.
The Ballad of Losing You is released this week and Lucky and his band will tour to promote it.