The black prince of pop (not variety) French hits hard, very strong

What has not already been written, said and firmly told the oblique character of Benjamin Biolay and his music? Irritant (e) even unbearable for some, inspired (e) or great (e) for other (perhaps rarer), or even incomprehensible "unsellable" for the vast majority of the French public probably.

The major talent that can (must?) Recognize the man is doing nothing like his comrades of the "new French song" (what a joke this term). Indeed, Benjamin Biolay has nothing, but really nothing to do with singers like Bénabar, Vincent Delerm, Renan Luce or even Matthieu Chedid, although it nourishes as a taste for the great stylistic differences, but comparison stops there. Benjamin Biolay carbide ambition (pretension, some would say) like others to know how little thinking faiseux revolutionize the song text, or worse, the rock called "festive".

With this fifth album under his real name, which is scornfully addresses Germain des Prés dandy says a breath and without any exigency common with its peers present or past, except perhaps the major Daho years 1984-1995. Indeed, with this double CD, Biolay seems to carry the torch on land that was left fallow Rennais in the early 90s: build a bridge between high verb and scholar, Anglo-Saxon pop and excellent craftsmanship.

For the first time aware of its limitations as its capabilities, it brings us a collection of 22 songs almost unstoppable all, the variety of the sound spectrum is matched only by the height of view of written texts seems-t it close to the bone. From the majestic opening of the title track, the Massive Attack, decorated with a sax limit no-wave New York, to the dazzling energy of "Let The Large" we swear borrowed from New Order, of hushed atmosphere that would not have denied the Miles Davis of "Elevator To The scaffold" (as the introspective "Addiction") mounted on vibrating strings arranged with the usual tact we know it, and finally magnificent real jewels of carved songs ("Your Heritage", as a tribute to tears to his offspring, or "Melancholia", the intimate possible) in abyssal descents and lacrimal (the radical "Padam" or more hypnotic "Jealous of All"), Biolay finally realizes the faultless we were entitled to expect from him in the promise of his debut.

The only advice we can still give him, it would be: "What others criticize you, keep it: it's you."

So too bad if you think Benjamin undrinkable or haughty (so perhaps, but art has nothing to do with bonhomie), for "The Great" is the resounding success of one of the artists the most underrated of contemporary French pop.

Updated Thursday, 7 MARS 2010: Benjamin Biolay has won two Victoires de la Musique in the category "Album of the Year" and "Best Male Artist Performer" and it is only right (for once).