It has been a year and a half and Leo LaFleur is yet again allowing us into his heart and mind through haunting lyrics, melodically beautiful compositions, and the lilting tone of his voice. ‘What Haunts Your Road?’ is an album that helps us to look beyond Leo’s ruminations and musical reactions to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales from his last album, ‘Of Love and Fortune’, and into the very heart of the local musician, himself.
“What haunts your road? Is it the speckled dew on the blade of grass? Is it the moon that has yet to set? Is it the car in the driveway that needs a new everything? Is it the storm on the Northern horizon? Is it the ocean, too wide for a liar? Is it the stench in the hotel when you know you should be home?”
LaFleur opens the four song EP with a song called “Honey Blue”. The melancholic picking of a guitar and the cry of a voice that echoes the inner feelings of a broken heart are heard as the song reverberates into the ears of those who are suffering. The lyrics take the audience to a place in their hearts where life is a shambles and all that is left to do is to grieve, pick up the pieces, and move on.
Similar to themes of loss in his first track, the title track of the album, “What Haunts Your Road?”, draws out the story of a man who was cheated on. The lyrics bring to light the thought pattern of a wronged lover and pair well with the minor keys and melodic undertones that allow the mind to reminisce of the dark times experienced by the protagonist in the song.
“Lay Me Down” is a beautifully crafted mournful piece that reminds one of the waves of the ocean, constantly flowing in and out, resembling memories of love, light, and happiness that gradually became worn and washed away by the slow ebb of time. The storms and trials of life can also represented in how the song hearkens to the likeness of a raging sea, the lyrics of the track being truly representative of this loss:
“Rosy / Call on me/ In the Morning / Rosy / Now, Love won’t lay me down / When the waters came and washed you out.”
The continuing theme in the album of the name Rosy is again highlighted in the last track which is, in fact, titled “Rosy”. Metaphorically rich, melodically familiar in terms of the representation of a mixture of both positive and negative experiences in love, and composed of lyrics that resonate with a sense of timelessness, the song completes the story of the album in one word, Kumbya, a word that represents a great need, the need for love, possibly a toxic need, in this case.
LaFleur’s album is one that resonates with those who have experienced or are experiencing a broken heart and the deep feelings that emanate from that loss. ‘What Haunts Your Road?’ appears to be a tribute to the human heart and the inner workings of a one that is broken by external forces. Perhaps his next album will be regarding one that is mended and healed. Conclusively, we’ll have to keep an eye what Leo LaFleur has to offer us next.
For more information visit Leo LaFleur’s Facebook page.