After making big waves with her self-titled debut album, and continuing the momentum with Highways, Heartaches and Time Well Wasted and the Polaris shortlisted Why You Wanna Leave Runaway Queen?, the Acadian star Lisa LeBlanc returns in sequins and groove with her new album, Chiac Disco. A bright, funny and sparkling record, filled with all kinds of musical glitter and colorful lyrics sung loud and proud.
Not long after earning major acclaim at the Festival international de la chanson de Granby, Lisa LeBlanc unveiled her self-titled debut album in 2012. She received a tremendous amount of positive feedback. There was an undeniable thirst for the Acadian artist’s raw, stripped down songs and her unique mix of roots, rock and country.
In the wake of her debut, she won Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the ADISQ gala, Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the GAMIQ awards and the prestigious Révélation musique prize from Radio-Canada. In 2014 she released an EP Highways, Heartaches and Time Well Wasted, and in 2016 released Why You Wanna Leave Runaway Queen?, which was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize. For both of those releases, Lisa opted to sing in English, expand her creativity and reach new audiences. Her first three records sold over 140,000 copies.
Lisa and her band toured almost non-stop, moving easily between Dawson City and Caraquet, Paris and Lafayette. She took a break from touring in 2019 to write and travel. She began to explore work as an artistic director and produced Nova Scotian Jacques Surette’s debut album, as well as Le tour du Grand Bois, Édith Butler’s 25th album. This new direction enabled her to broaden her musical horizons while using her talents, creativity and passion in service of others.
In June 2020, Lisa embodied a bingo-kitsch alter-ego named Belinda to put out her part-joke, part-tribute EP It’s not a game, it’s a lifestyle. She began to flirt with disco, which helped set the tone for what would follow. In 2022, Lisa LeBlanc returned with her new album, Chiac Disco, co-produced with her creative accomplice Benoît Morier. This record is a tribute to the era of chic disco and funk, and to the memory of Lee Hazlewood, thanks to the lively melodies and resounding percussions. Accompanied by her bandmates Mico Roy, Benoît Morier and Léandre Bourgeois, Lisa gave her musicians free rein in order to create an atmosphere of sharing and collaboration.
The album, recorded in her home somewhere between the living room and the basement, is a mix of sounds reminiscent of the sixties and seventies. This also marks her return to French, creating a unique mix of disco and chiac, a kind of cultural patchwork of rural disco, or rather chiac glamour. The album is bright, sparkly and fun, filled with glittery music and colourful lyrics that are sung with pride and confidence.
Étrange paradoxe : voilà un album de rupture qui nous met le sourire aux lèvres. C’est rock avec un fond country, c’est plein d’âme et d’humour.
Le DevoirLeBlanc allows herself to be vulnerable throughout the album, especially during 'I Ain’t Perfect, Babe', a slower and soulful track than the rest of the album, but she stays unapologetic about her flaws and fearless in addressing them.
Spill MagazineOn y retrouve avec plaisir la jeune femme culottée qui aime les guitares rugueuses, qui s'approprie du Motörhead avec son banjo en folie, mais qui est tout aussi à l'aise dans le bluegrass, le country-folk ou le western spaghetti.
Alain de Repentigny, La PresseDepuis son EP, on savait que la Lisa LeBlanc version anglaise nous plaisait beaucoup, et ça se poursuit avec son second album [Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen?], fait de rock bien lourd, de rugissements et d’histoire de ruptures, de fuites et de départs.
Journal MétroDouze nouvelles chansons country-folk-rock, titillant le garage, le cajun et le western au passage. C’est joué et chanté avec aplomb comme elle seule sait le faire. Lisa, nous t’attendions.
ICI MusiqueThis is a highly creative collection of songs without a trace of filler. Every song measures up to or exceeds the previous, giving the listener a record which not only immediately pulls them in, but also delivers a very artistic and unique sound which they will have trouble finding anywhere else.
Canadian Beats