Rau Ze’s R&B song triumphed last night over the rock grooves of the group Hôte, who came second, and the pop-rock song of Émile Bourgault, during the grand final of the 26th edition of the Francouvertes which was played in a Club Soda showing full. The project led by singer-songwriter Rose Perron thus ended its journey as it had begun during the preliminary round: by retaining its first position. We will find her and her orchestra on a stage outside the Francos on June 13th.
The performance that Rau Ze offered yesterday already confirmed what was taking shape during the previous rounds of the talent show competition: Perron has the gift of captivating a crowd. At the same time disarmingly simple, and totally invested in her role as performer, dynamic, unleashed, compensating with her energy for a voice that is not always right, nor as full as the musical style she and her musicians demand.
The chemistry of the group on stage seemed different last night, and not only because of the absence of the trumpet player who we used to find alongside the saxophonist – the small brass section of Rau Ze added a lot weight to the jazzy soul / R&B argument of his repertoire. In fact, it’s as if the size of the hall had an influence on the performance of the orchestra: more nuanced during the preliminary and semi-final rounds, the group judiciously branched off towards a more rock sound, led by a more rigid and muscular battery which, in return, whipped Rose Perron. It was the rockiest, most chaotic performance that Rau Ze has given, and it served him well, getting the front of the floor to dance.
Allow this observation to be at odds with the outcome determined by a jury of industry professionals and audience members, but Host yesterday delivered not only the best performance of his course, but the best performance of the evening, period. Ravishing progression by singer-songwriter Marc-André Dupaul and his group, who found what they were looking for on the big stage at Club Soda; their synthesizer-heavy rock song was thrilling, with drummer Alexandre Crépeau knitting trance-inducing rhythms. These musicians offered the most mature, accomplished, and driving performance.
Émile Bourgault certainly has nothing to be ashamed of his bronze medal: the young 18-year-old singer-songwriter was without a doubt the revelation of this edition of the Francouvertes. From his first appearance at the Lion d’Or during the preliminary round, he impressed everyone with his aplomb, his ease on stage, his ability to communicate with the public. We feel him where he should be, a guitar around his neck or behind his electric piano, sharing something with someone.
But his inexperience played a trick on him, as if he hadn’t realized that the decor was going to be very different in the room on boulevard Saint-Laurent. Thus, Bourgault chose to begin his singing tour with the best composition in his repertoire (poor and unhappy), which can be described as a ballad. A too soft introduction then leaving us the impression that his more rock songs did not have the same force. Émile Bourgault spent much more time on the piano than on the guitar, but if his mix of pop-rock songs (generally too smooth) and soft songs went well in the intimacy of the little Golden Lion , he seemed to get lost in the echo on the balcony of Club Soda.