Gabriel Yacoub, De la Nature des Choses (Le Roseau, 2008)

French singer Gabriel Yacoub is one of those performers whose music may not overwhelm people or provide instant gratification, but who never fails to make an intriguing recording. Best known as the leader of the revered "Renaissance rock" band Malicorne, Yacoub has spent nearly forty years among France's finest musical exports, and along the way has embraced a number of different styles. At first listen his newest album De la Nature des Choses sound like a typically mellow recording in the singer/songwriter vein, but Yacoub mixes in a number of subtle twists that will reward those who listen closely.

The key to De la Nature des Choses is the unusual assortment of instrumentation which Yacoub uses to back up his singing. Yacoub himself alternates between guitar, banjo, mandolin, and autoharp. His primary accompanists on this recording are Yannick Hardouin on piano and bass and Gilles Chabenat on vielle à roue (French hurdy-gurdy), with additional periodic support from a horn section, backing singers, and some light percussion. The combination of instruments is unusual, but the arrangements generally work. I'm a fan of the sound of hurdy-gurdies in general, but the use of the vielle à roue as a support instrument in delicate arrangements is unique at least among the recordings with which I'm familiar, and it adds an otherworldly dimension to the overall sound that I found very appealing. Likewise, the horn section is used sparsely and delicately, but if you pay attention you'll hear how well it works.

I didn't think any of the songs De la Nature des Choses were as catchy as "Beauté" and "Ces Dieux-Là" off Yacoub's previous studio album The Simple Things We Said, but that could partially be attributed to the French in those songs being relatively easy for me to follow. Still, the new album has some highlights, particularly the melodically intricate "Elle Disait" and the bluesy "Le Bois Mort." Gabriel Yacoub is a venerable artist still finding new ways to express himself musically, and De la Nature des Choses really grew on me with repeated listens.

Overall grade: B+

reviewed by Scott

a solo performance of "Il Aurait Du"

Gabriel Yacoub, The Simple Things We Said (Simple, 2002)

Gabriel Yacoub began his career singing and playing guitar in Alan Stivell's band, before going on to form the legendary French Renaissance rock band Malicorne. Malicorne's compilation CD Légende: Deuxieme Epoque exceeds the quality of any of the similar compilations from their English contemporaries Steeleye Span, and is on a comparable level with the best output from Fairport Convention. Malicorne split up twenty years ago, and I hadn't heard any of Yacoub's subsequent solo material until I recently got the chance to listen to 2002's The Simple Things We Said. This album combines new songs with reworked versions of some older songs, with the specific intent of cracking the American world music market.

A couple of things have changed in Yacoub's music since his Malicorne days. For one thing, while most of the songs on The Simple Things We Said are sung in French, Yacoub also sings in English on a couple of songs. The title song is an anglicized version of an older song of his called "Les Choses Les Plus Simple." He wrote a short English song "Letter From America" for the album, and does a chilling cover of the song "You Stay Here" from one of his favorite English-speaking songwriters, Richard Shindell. Most of the music on this CD falls into the category of straightforward acoustic folk, as opposed to the Medieval and rock ends of Malicorne's musical spectrum. A greater focus is placed on Yacoub's guitar playing, which has improved significantly over the years. A couple of songs do echo Yacoub's past though, most notably the a capella "Ami: Âme: Amen (Friend: Spirit: Amen)," a song reflecting on a nightmarish summer when three close friends of Yacoub's passed away, and "Désir," which features a dueling guitar from Nicolaïvan Mignot and backing vocals from Kate and Anna McGarrigle.

Yacoub has also successfully made the transition from performing mostly traditional material to writing most of the songs on this disc. Most of Yacoub's songs, including the title song, are love songs, usually tinged with a hint of melancholy and some indication that the romance has not survived. The lyrical themes diversify in the second half of the disc, though. "Ces Dieux-Là (These Gods)" reads a lot like John Lennon's song "God," except that Yacoub's list of things he does believe in is substantially longer and the chorus is very catchy and singable even to non-native speakers like me. On "Beauté/12th Song of the Thunder," Yacoub very successfully adapts two pieces of poetry from a Navajo ritual.

A couple of facets of Yacoub's music have remained constant over time, though. For one thing, the passing years since Malicorne have been mercifully kind to Yacoub's voice. It remains very distinct and recognizable, and if anything, has matured and gained in character. Most importantly, The Simple Things We Said shows that Gabriel Yacoub remains an intriguing and compelling performer, full of creative musical ideas and still perfectly capable of turning the ideas into first-rate music.

Overall grade: A-



Reprinted with permission from The Green Man Review
Copyright 2006 The Green Man Review