Lopez Blogs

Ah, je t'adore le francais. I don't parlez it particularly well (as you can see) but I do understand it a whole lot better than I speak it, thanks to my A in GCSE French many moons ago. And it has provided me with lots of things French that I love - fries, toast, kissing, etc. More importantly spoken/sung well, it sounds just heavenly in pop songs... check out Vous êtes jamais seuls, vous savez ce qu'il faut faire, ne laissez pas tomber votre nation - la disco a besoin de vous or Je n'parle pas français alors laisse la funky musique faire parler nos corps d'accord? Oh! And quite frankly, if you don't know what those lyrics are from, you need your pop membership card revoking. But here is one particular suave frenchman who caught my eye recently, followed by a couple more you might like...

QUENTIN MOSIMANN


Let's face it, it was the bright colours and stark imagery that first drew me to French popstar Quentin Mosimann. However, it was the juxtaposition of his seductive singing style, fuzzy-synthed pop and his way of making everything sound so dreamy one minute and so downright dirty the next that got me checking out his debut album and his latest single (from upcoming second album, Exhibition) Toc Toc. He comes across like a striking french Adam Tyler, with the glam-pop look and his way with a hooky chorus. One of the key draws to Toc Toc is how aujourd hui it feels in it's production value as well as how magnificent it sounds in it's native tongue - absolutely no need for an English translation. Even if you don't understand, just let the funky rhythm take you over and you're all set. Should you want to explore Quentin a little more (and let's face it, who wouldn't!?), why not check out his debut release "Il Y A Je T'aime et Je T'Aime" which present a more jazz tinged meets electro, almost Will Young like collection of tunes. Equally as intoxicating as Toc Toc, but quite different. This is one artist with many facets to explore and one who I suspect will become more accomplished and fascinating as time goes on...

If you like Quentin, you might try...

• Christophe Willem ~ currently planning his French tour under the direction of the amazing Steve Anderson (Kylie, Elouise, Polly Rae et al), Christophe got a lot of attention early last year when his second album was released with the very excellent indeed album art (the French are currently brilliant at this - bravo to both Christophe and Quentin)and the much hyped duet with Kylie on Sensitized. On that track, he adds his vocals (in French) to the purring electro ditty and it works wonderfully. Hardcore Britney fans may recognise Entre Nous Et La Sol as a variation on her unreleased (?) Love Is A State of Grace, while La Demande is a very brilliant disco epic in the vein of Jay Johnson. Like Quentin, he brings to the table a great singing voice and a clear love of pop that shines through in his choice of songs, production styles and sheer joi de vivre of his delivery. I neglected this album a bit last year, but all of a sudden it's infecting me like Kylie's Fever. Viva Le French Garcon Pop!!
• WhatFor ~ Ah a blast from the dontstopthepop past! Yes bobsicles got me into this four piece pop group and were essentially a tiny bit rubbish but that was all part of their appeal. They only had one album out, but it was chock full of pop and r'n'b tinged tunes, most with a disco vibe to them. The singles were quite good if you are nostalgic for some popstars winners type material and actually Plus Haut always cheers me up :)

Back soon!