Lucie Idlout plays The Rivoli (334 Queen W) Feb 19.
Swagger, the second album from blues rocker Lucie Idlout, does just what the title claims to. Its opening track, “Berlin” finds the Nunavut-bred singer crooning an ode to a disastrous relationship (or one night stand?), that’s perfectly suited to Idlout’s low, stormy voice. Relationships gone wrong recur through the album, with songs like “You (Devil)” and “Lovely Irene,” about a woman escaping an abusive partner. It also packs a few surprises, like “For You,” which sounds tender and sweet until you realize Idlout is singing, “Not for you / I won’t be there for you.” But despite its heavy subject matter, most of Swagger is catchy, feel-good rock. It won’t blow you away with poetry or invention, but it’s good music to stride, or swagger, down the street to.