Alt-country no more, Winnipeg ex-pat Luke Doucet delivers a certifiably rock ‘n’ roll bombshell on his fourth outing. Written as a tribute to his new hometown of Hamilton, Steel City Trawler navigates themes of place and love, but also self-examination and suicide. Partly The Who, partly Neil Young circa Broken Arrow and a whole lot of Tom Petty steer Doucet away from previous country-tinged releases while still boasting the riffs that first put the exceptional guitar-slinger on the scene. With Sloan’s Andrew Scott at the production helm, Doucet’s hook-laden rock tunes drift from loud sneer (Dusted) to quiet confessional (Hey Now) effortlessly. Highlights include The Ballad of Ian Curtis – an homage to the late Joy Division frontman – and a near-faithful rendition of Gordon Lightfoot’s Sundown. This is Canadian rock at its finest. Don’t miss Doucet when he performs Saturday, Nov. 6 at the West End Cultural Centre.

Published in Volume 65, Number 10 of The Uniter (November 4, 2010)