Excellent debut from the Hageland Hills of Belgium.
When you ponder Belgium, you wouldn’t immediately consider it a hotbed of americana music. You would most likely think of their excellent footballers, chocolates, and even a fictional detective. Lucky Came To Town is a six-piece band from the hills around Leuven in Belgium, and their debut album, “The River Knows My Name“, dispels any preconceptions you may have. Songwriter Kim Van Weyenbergh and bass player Joost Buttiens met in 2015, driven by their mutual respect for country music and started playing tunes together. Although this collection has enough twang, it leans away from traditional country, and fans of American Aquarium will find similarities between this offering and the band’s music. Formed deep in the Hageland Hills, which are considered the Belgian Appalachians, it is not a stretch to see transatlantic influence.
Weyenbergh’s voice is to the fore, and lyrically, this is a strong set of songs that covers all aspects of life. Produced by Dirk Lekenne and the band at the marvellously named Studio Fandango, it is a vibrant record that sizzles into life from the very first chord. Straight in with the song ‘Ain’t No Blues’, written during the pandemic, it is a bluesy breakup song with underlying hope that everything will turn out fine. There are some wonderful piano fills from Dimitri Laes that hint at the river in the album title. A sparkling tributary of time, always moving along, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, nothing stands still.
‘Come Dance’ has been a live mainstay for the band for a while, so it is good to hear it made the album. Weyenbergh calls it a “feminist song” with the cleverly written warning lyrics, “If you put heartbreak into my heart / You gotta pick your grave on the graveyard”, a warning to treat your partner right. The tune is naturally followed by ‘Oh, Loretta’, a woman in desperate need of the river to wash away her cares, troubles, and, in the end, the sin of murder. That same river in which she was baptised. It’s a traditional Appalachian murder ballad done with imagery so stark and wonderful you will hang on every word.
There is an energy to ‘Hands on the Wheel‘ with a bass line that keeps things moving down the road. The guitar solo in the middle takes the music up, only for the band to slow it down with more sparkling keys—a song of doing the best you can and keeping your head above water.
‘Coal Blues’ was inspired by the brilliant ‘Dark Black Coal’ by Logan Halstead and ‘Coal Mining Blues’ by Matt Anderson. Coal mining has consistently featured in americana circles, and the two songs inspired the band to write this song about the Marcinelle mining disaster of 1956. The tune takes the pace down and is written from the perspective of an Italian moving to Marcinelle to find work. It’s brooding, and there is a sense that, although the subjects are leaving their homeland because of poverty, things may go from bad to worse. A fire broke out in the mine, causing the death of 262 miners, including many migrant workers from Italy. The site is now preserved as an industrial heritage site. The tune captures the hopelessness and is a fitting tribute to all who lost their life.
The final track, ‘New York City Nights’, lightens the mood and is an autobiographical tale of a carefree trip to the Big Apple in Weyenbergh’s youth. Playing open mic nights around the city. The Beatles had Hamburg; he had his New York adventure. The upbeat mood gives an enjoyable ending to a fine album.
This collection has been a while in the making, and new songs have been added to ones that have been around and part of live shows for a while, making it an all-encompassing set. Lucky Came To Town have produced a thought-provoking view into their world. “The River Knows My Name” bubbles, froths and at times runs deep. Listen carefully; there is a lot to be learned and enjoyed.
