How to bring to life the repertoire of Jean-Jacques Goldman, who has not released a studio album for 20 years? The Goldman Legacy, album of covers, answers it between classical or gospel, with faithful like Michael Jones in the adventure.
This opus takes the opposite view of Goldman generation, published almost 10 years ago, which relied on reinterpretations by M. Pokora, Amel Bent, Zaz etc.
In The Goldman Legacy, Vol. 1, which comes out on Friday January 21, we find the Choeur Gospel de Paris or even Camille and Julie Berthollet, from the classics. The young singers associated with the project – some of whom have gone through musical TV springboards – have not yet broken through for the most part (we find in particular Marina Kaye, also present on a recent piano-voice album by Nicoletta).
“When I listened to the album, I thought it was wholesome, it showcases Goldman’s music and words, rather than a big name cast”, comments for AFP Didier Varrod, musical director of the antennas of Radio France, which signs notes of the disc. “It’s an album that tells Goldman quite well, an artist who started at ballrooms, who loves everything choral, gospel, who has a rock-progressive, Celtic heritage (this side will be exploited in a second volume to be published soon, editor’s note)“, continues the radio man.
The album surprises from the start with The Prologue of the Sign, instrumental part with the cello and violin of the Berthollet sisters. Then we find their strings on the sung cover of Il suffira d’un signe.
“This prelude is very original, something you don’t expect for Goldman covers, that’s what we like, risk taking”, deciphers for AFP Julie Berthollet. “Starting the album like this will attract the ear”, Complete Camille. They had already covered Goldman in instrumental. Here, they continue to break down the barriers between genres, since we heard them in 2020 on the Grand Corps Malade album, ladies, before they revisit the credits of iconic TV series in 2021.
“There are plenty of classic roots that we find in song or in pop, whether it’s assumed or it’s just by chance, as in All By Myself by Celine Dion, based on Rachmaninoff”, slips Camille. “It also corresponds to our very eclectic playlists, with OrelSan, a prelude by Chopin, Brel, there is no barrier”, abounds Julie.
The Berthollet sisters were born in the 1990s, shortly before Jean-Jacques Goldman retired from musical and public life (which did not prevent him from still being France’s favorite personality). “We’re not from the Goldman generation, but from the generation of Goldman’s children, our parents listened to it a lot, we started singing his songs, integrating his chords from a very young age, it’s also part of our musical DNA. , we studied its structures and its formulas which work very well”, develops Camille.
Their opening sticks to the original approach of the man at the helm of this disc, Erick Benzi, arranger, one of Goldman’s faithful, in the same way as the essential Michael Jones. The guitarist covers the hit I give you, where we find the other asset of the disc, the Choeur Gospel de Paris. “It’s the arrangement that made me want, I had already made a gospel wink, on my acoustic album, but there the whole song in gospel, I find it great”, says Michael Jones to AFP.
Has he spoken with Goldman about the result? “No, I did not have Jean-Jacques. I believe that Erick (Benzi) saw it, but Jean-Jacques has an open opinion on it, he does not participate in these covers but he does not prohibit them. neither, for him the songs, once they come out, find their own way.”