Suzzy Roche & Lucy Wainwright Roche “I Can Still Hear You”

‘I Can Still Hear You’ is a magical creation, taking flight over ethereal, dreamy melodies, that unfold at a leisurely pace, floating in the clouds above a mystical landscape.

From two of the most beloved musical families comes the mother/ daughter collaboration of Suzzy Roche (from the famed Roches) and Lucy Wainwright Roche (daughter of Roche and Loudon Wainwright III), and their latest sublime release, ‘I Can Still Hear You’.  Their latest albums follows two previous collaborations together, 2013’s ‘Fairytale & Myth’ and 2016’s ‘Mud & Apples’.

‘I Can Still Hear You’, almost did not happen.  The duo had headed to Nashville to begin recording in early 2020.  A week later the world shut down due to the pandemic.  The two continued to work from their New York homes while locked down and crafted an album that reflected the strange, troubled, turbulent era we found ourselves in.  The album is rooted in personal loss and social turmoil, but delivered with a lilting, elegant, charm.  The opening title-track, ‘I Can Still Hear You’, evokes the loneliness of those first days of pandemic lockdown and isolation as the two sing over sparse guitar and gentle piano, “Surprised to discover that we’re standing next to none/ Around and around now/ It’s just up and down now/ I can still hear you.”

Lyrically the album is one of discovery, of finding your place in the world, of finding happiness in the darkness.  While it is easy to get lost in the allure of the Roche’s majestic twin voices, it is within their lyrics where one truly gets lost in a journey of self-discovery.  Lines like, “I fumbled for the words to say/ Well, something had to give/ It’s what happens when you live,” from ‘Swan Duck Song’, invoke moments of introspective contemplation, perfect for these confusing times.

The album, born from the lonely isolation of the dark early days of the pandemic, is one of undeniable beauty, and one of the year’s best.  The Roche’s voices are a magical creation, taking flight over ethereal, dreamy melodies, that unfold at a leisurely pace, floating in the clouds above a mystical landscape.  ‘I Can Still Hear You’ is a thought-provoking album, but at the same time it is a warm cup of tea, it is comfort food, it is a cosy blanket to wrap up and lose one’s self in.