In Quebec and francophone Canada, and in parts of Europe, Lisa LeBlanc is already a known quantity. Her 2012 self-titled French language debut album swiftly sold 80,000 copies on release – and she’s toured and won prizes on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2013, she hit the road and followed the path of the Beat Generation across Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Austin and San Francisco. It was during this trip that she found the inspiration for the wonderfully-titled Highways, Heartaches and Time Well Wasted, a 6 track EP available since November 2014 via Bonsound.
The talented young Montreal-based producer Emmanuel Ethier coaxed an unexpected creative force out of the 24-year-old Acadian by encouraging her to leave her comfort zone. The result of a series of spontaneous sessions is an Americana sound infused with the spirit of the Maritimes.
“The songs are an evolution of my first album, which I wrote when I was 20. Two years later, there are a lot of things that have changed in my life, especially after the craziness of that first album. The EP is just a natural follow-up, it’s a continuation of my own story. There’s a lot more of a defined folk-roots “trash” vibe to it. And it’s still Lisa LeBlanc, just this time, in English!” It is likely very true that Ms. LeBlanc is well on her way to becoming a “known quantity” in the other half of the country too!
