Album flashback

Luba - Secrets And Sins [1984]

With origins in Montréal via Ukraine, few CanCon artists have had a journey to the top of the charts like Lubomyra Kowalchuk - aka Luba.

First step - an album of songs sung in her native Ukranian, released in 1977 - Lubomyra. Then a new wave record with her band that was called Luba - Chain Reaction.

The imitation bagpipe here is too good not to share:

Chain Reaction - did not chart

Sadly, this project did not generate much in sales but it did attract interest from Capitol Records, who funded an EP.

This was the first airing for a tune that Luba co-wrote with her keyboard player Pierre Marchand - Every Time I See Your Picture. The track did well on the charts and merited a full-length LP, where Luba’s first hit would appear again.

Every Time I See Your Picture - peaked #23, 1983

This single was added onto reissues of Secrets And Sins as a way to goose sales, and was the beneficiary of a Jim Boyer remix.

1984 was an incredible year for Secrets And Sins producer Daniel Lanois. There was a little project with U2 and Brian Eno called The Unforgettable Fire. And he also found time to work on three massive CanCon projects with The Parachute Club, M+M, and this LP with Luba.

It would not be his last time working with Marchand, either. The duo would later reunite on Lanois’ LP Acadie in 1989.

Let It Go - peaked #32, 1984

This little calypso number was chart magic for Luba, spending 31 weeks on the RPM Countdown. It also proves that there were a variety of sounds to emerge from this project.

So many CanCon artists of the era were writing songs about our humanity like Parachute Club and Bruce Cockburn. Luba tackles this subject head on with some of my fave lyrics of the era:

Uniformity
Conventionality
Is the bane our existence
Keeps us safely at a distance
Nonconformity
Unconventionality
Is to dare to be
Let your hair down
Can't you see?

Such was the appeal that this tune also appeared on the OST for 9½ Weeks, along with a second Luba track - The Best Is Yet To Come - and tunes from Corey Hart and Dalbello.

Did you know that Luba was ranked #10 in our CanCon Power Rankings?

Storm Before The Calm - peaked #37, 1985

Another theme of the era was the ramping up of the Cold War and the weapons race. My reading of this tune is that it is partially about that, while also dealing with unity being a survival tool.

It’s noteworthy as well that Side Two of the record was written solely by Luba, which I feel was a compromise between her artistry and the label’s push for hits.

This would not be the case on the next album, where Luba took full control, and delivered a bigger payday for the label while staying true to what she wanted.

Secrets And Sins - peaked #95, 1985

Ahh, the long lost trope of a man of the cloth who is betraying his vows. Recorded a full five years before Madonna dropped Like A Prayer.

This may be my second fave track from the album, and a ballsy selection for Track One, Side One.

He condones
Clandestine liaisons
Even though he knows
The throes of lust
Are wrong
For a man of the cloth
It seems
There are no in-betweens
Committing adultery
In the depths of his soul

Luba would go on to win the Juno for Female Vocalist of the year in 1985. As well as ‘86 and ‘87.

She remains underrated for some reason, and in my humble opinion should be considered for our Hall of Fame.