Review of Romance Paradis, by Yves Lambert | Sweet melancholy

After his recent collaborations with Shauit and Socalled, the chief ambassador of traditional Quebec music explores with Romance paradise the 1930s repertoire


This new album by Yves Lambert takes off with the almost century-old accents of gypsy jazz from Is your plane going to heaven, ideal soundtrack for this tale, both tragic and naive, frozen in the 1930s.

After the touching waltz Knowing that we are lovedthe room Chinese polka brings us closer to the roots of Quebec trad, but with a groove as unexpected as it is irresistible, almost R&B – Mathieu Royer’s superb double bass solo finishes us off by firmly planting the hollow rhythm in the basin.

The atmosphere changes completely in the sad Song of the rain, Verlaine’s poem carried by an exquisite string melody showing Lambert on edge, his voice carrying an emotional register that he is less accustomed to letting filter through. Even darker with the sometimes dissonant harmonies of Yves Lambert’s accordion and Robin Boulianne’s violin, the glaucous Legend of Saint Nicholas fortunately ends well, which sets the table for comedy Stupid songwhich tells the impossible story of a couple who never met (!).

The album closes with the Ukrainian Waltz, a superb instrumental with moods that are sometimes dark, sometimes bright, where we let ourselves be lulled with melancholy by Paul Audy’s bouzouki. We would have taken more. p

Extract of Is your plane going to heavenby Yves Lambert

Romance paradise

Traditional music

Romance paradise

Yves Lambert

The Free Hemlock

7.5/10


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