Contrary to poular belief, the French can do some things really well. Like make cheese, great wine…and jazz….and…some other things I guess.
But they did produce one Ludovic Navarre, AKA St Germain, which is no small feat in my book. Navarre’s first incarnation of St Germain released the debut Album “Boulevard” in 1995 and sold over 300,000 copies, although mostly in Europe. He really didn’t hit it big until his US debut in 2000 with “Tourist.”
For as amazing as this album is, I’m still surprised to come across people who have never heard of it. Especially since it encompasses so many styles so effortlessly. It’s housy, but not house. Jazzy without being straight out jazz. You’ll find pieces of Latin, down-tempo, hip hop, electronic and blues scattered throughout…but Navarre never quite tips the scale in any one direction
It’s like a silver candlestick made of brass knuckles.
I’d like to think music has the ability to take you to different places and create a certain mood. This album does both.
Navarre is sort of a musical chameleon…and often releases things under many different names like Deepside, Nuages, Soofle and most recently Soel. Keep an eye out for him. His work is almost always worth it. Below, the music video for ‘Sure Thing.”
super album
Indeed, sir.