Of course, there is Matthew who, without having had to make a name for himself, created a universe articulated around a simple letter. Just like there is Anna alias Nach on stage; Joseph, also a musician, who came, in particular, to complete the magic square for the 2015 family project. Finally, we must not forget the eldest of the siblings, Émilie, director and illustrator.
However, as experienced as the offspring may be, Louis Chedid is not just a father. Far from it…
Not only does his half-century of career speak for him, but his ability to continue to enhance his discography with endearing and admirably crafted songs proves that he is still well established on the family throne today. And it's not Dreamer, Dreamerson 18e album studio which will confuse the issue.
The art of simplicity
Louis… A monarch's first name for a boy whose family had to, one day, flee Lebanon for Egypt before his parents settled in Paris. The toddler was barely a few months old. Since then, 76 springs have passed. A trifle for this former film student, who ended up opting for a musical career.
Coming from a fictitious promotion which included Souchon, Voulzy and other Shellers, the artist has since left some unforgettable pieces to the French repertoire by multiplying the style exercises. Starting with an ability to play with words to extract pieces that we hum without even realizing it. Example with You may not be beautifulan almost childish anthem denouncing, behind its cheerful melody, the stupidity of men. A “tinker” written in less than three hours, which was enough for its author to doubt, wrongly, its relevance. It was in 1978. Louis Chedid discovered that he had a gift: that of raising simplicity to the rank of art. This will be the case for a few other hits: the cinematographic Hold-up, The beautiful, So be it or, in a more solemn register, at least on the level of narration, Anne, my sister Anne.
Madeleine by Proust
Chedid led his boat discreetly, without ever renouncing his commitments but without, either, brandishing them with drooling on his lips. At “If you are not with me, you are against me” ambient, it brings a whole range of nuances, proves that we are not more convincing because we speak louder than others.
And when his songs do not evoke human failings, they tell of happy days: “Porte d'Orléans, Nationale 7/After 800 kilometers/A bastidon on the hill/Cicadas as a bonus. » Chedid sings Bouc-Bel-Air and made the town located between Marseille and Aix-en-Provence his Bastide Neuve, his own Garlaban. Once again, with simple words that would almost make you smell the scents of the scrubland just as his friend Cabrel is able to make you hear the branches cracking in October. Despite the years, the inner child is still bubbling.
“Beautiful things”
Dreamer, Dreamer arrives in the heart of an autumn where nature rages and current events pale in comparison. Extricating himself from the ambient gloom, Louis Chedid continues his long career by favoring what Zabou Breitman calls “beautiful things”. An approach which allows him to illustrate pretty songs where it is a question of love, happiness, concern for others (I am here, When we love). “Things” that are less easy to put to music since the approach does not aim to form a human caterpillar with an Uncle Jules loaded like a barrel in the lead.
Supported by Stan Neff (Tété, Kid Francescoli, Lilly Wood & the Prick…) in recording, mixing and production, surrounded by solid musicians (including François Poggio on guitars), Louis the Great was also able to count on family support: his wife Emmanuelle co-signs a text (Happiness makes me happy), Anna provides some backing vocals and Matthieu does some well-balanced solos without ever adding a note too much (Heartbeat, I am here, Happiness…).
Between acoustic delicacies (Lawn dancers) and Latin jazz sounding pastilles (My soul and me), the patriarch plays with styles.
The strength of the strings
Starting from a base of some forty pieces, he kept only twelve and chose to offer two versions of these Heartbeat which open and close this new chapter. This gives a varied album, a real bubble in which it is good to isolate yourself (We said to ourselves and its cottony softness reinforced by its Moog finish). The strings arranged and conducted by Rémy Galichet (Daniel Darc, Alain Chamfort, Yael Naïm…) are one of the strengths of the record. Sometimes, they go so far as to evoke the memory of those who covered a classic like Crime of the Century by Supertramp, especially a track like If Everyone Was Listening of which we find some traces of DNA in The Beats of the Heart.
Stilted arpeggios, subtlety of the verb, Chedid constantly questions himself: “People often say to me: “With the career you have, you have nothing left to prove.'' I tell them it’s quite the opposite. »
Sobriety
This liveliness of mind gives all its consistency to the famous bubble. Because the escape allowed by Dreamer, Dreamer (“At the back of the class/When my gaze was/From the blackboard in front/A movie screen”) is counterbalanced by Like you and its theme evoking migrants, aptly recalling that, in a context of war, no one leaves their country for pure pleasure (“I mean you no harm but where do you want me to go”).
Paternity (When I saw you naked) and even death (The train of clouds) are approached with a delicacy and sobriety which make this new album touching. Seductive, not to say instantly catchy, but above all deeply endearing.
“Each time I embark on a new recording adventure, I wonder if I will be able to climb this mountain, but above all if I will still enjoy it (…) But no, I am always pleasantly surprised to the excitement that comes over me when I play the guitar or the piano, when I find a melody that catches my attention or when I scratch the paper in search of those words which will make the notes I have composed ring out”he explains.
The messages are sent, the game won. In case of sluggishness, forget St. John's wort, passionflower and other California poppies. Instead, turn to this record which can be listened to in one go and to which we return because it feels good. In the heart and in the body, as the other would say.
