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Moussu T e Lei Jovents - Home Sweet Home

The third album of roots-based Provençal pop from the Marseille trio is as engaging and as accessible as its predecessors.  

Moussu T e Lei Jovents - Home Sweet Home

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The truth is that there are probably only three basic song templates by the band formed by former Masilia Sound System founder Tatou - the laid-back, lilting blues-and-reggae-tinted tunes (dare we say chanson?) that begs to be the soundtrack to whichever is the latest Brits-up-sticks-to-France TV documentary; the salty-as-a-seadog sing-along, almost nursery rhyme-like in its simplicity as it bounces along on the jaunty rhythm of Blu’s plucked banjo; and the gruff, electric-guitar led rockier mode that deals with the deeper, serious side of the band’s underlying desire to celebrate the multi-cultural melange of the Mediterranean port.

However, there’s mileage yet in these charming, simple arrangements, the melodies keep on coming, delivered in a timeless, languid music-hall style and sung in a mix of French, English and the local, almost defunct, Occitan language. Whichever tongue is chosen, sing-alongs a-plenty are guaranteed, whether it’s the celebratory ‘Ma Rue N’Est Pas Longue’, the repetitive weekday recitation of ‘Labour Song’ or the nostalgia-laced sound of ‘Il Fait Beau’, a glorious pre-war seaside promenade of a song and one of the band’s best moments to date. The latter song is filled out with female backing vocals and slide guitar, illustrative of a slight upping of the complexity of arrangements at times, and there’s a more reflective, almost wistful tone in places, too, ‘Desamarra!’ in particular given a mournful, street-corner feel by the inclusion of plaintive accordion. But in typical fashion, that’s immediately followed by a flighty celebration of the southern city of our hosts, a darker, gruff-voiced number, and then straight back into the smiling, catchy Provençal dish. Another seductive cosmopolitan collection from a consistently likeable bunch.



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