Le Regard Libre N° 29 - Jonas Follonier
At the age of forty-nine, the singer-songwriter has established himself as one of France's top pop stars. Currently in the midst of a tour featuring tracks from his latest album, Gérald de Palmas is cultivating a veritable musical style.
Substantial pop rock, a slightly urban sound, omnipresent guitars, a nasal but harmonious voice: we're dealing with de Palmas. More than anyone else in the wave of French singers of his generation, Gérald Gardrinier - it's easy to see why he chose a stage name borrowed from his maternal grandmother - has what we call a «patte». It's a style you recognize immediately when you hear one of his songs.
A collective start
Few people know that de Palmas didn't start his career as a solo artist, but as part of a band. At the age of eighteen, he joined Les Max Valentin as bassist-singer. An unusual position for a group of musicians, where the guitarist-singer is often the rule. The group benefited from Gérald's participation for three years, releasing two forty-five rpm records during this period, where the budding singer was already making a name for himself.
In 1988, the group disbanded, and Gérald de Palmas began his personal career. He took his time: he spent seven years working on his compositions, before winning the Talent of Tomorrow competition in 1994, on M6. That year saw the release of his first opus, a highly crafted work bordering on the blues: The Last Year. The de Palmas style was born, in its purest form.
The second song on the album, On the road, is still the artist's best-known song. It alone represents the de Palmas vein. Everything that follows to this day will be found on this famous road. His style.
From album to album
From 1994 to the present day, Gérald de Palmas has released one album after another. The Laws of Nature, his most little-known work, of which he is very proud, was released in 1996, the year his first child was born. Four years passed before he returned with an opus. With I still dream of it, a song written by a certain Jean-Jacques Goldman, Walking in the sand is a real success. Piano and strings make their grand entrance in Gérald de Palmas' music: it's one of the little touches that, without changing the quiet rock song style, give it a more popular dimension.
This album, which also contains the famous A single life, Fall and Look me in the face, In 2002, the French artist won the NRJ Music Award for Francophone Album of the Year, as well as the award for Male Artist or Group of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique awards. The same year saw the release of the double album To life and death by Johnny Hallyday. Five of the twenty-three tracks were composed by de Palmas, including Marie, Johnny's best-selling single. This now cult ballad, built on a fine melody played on acoustic guitar, can be considered de Palmas' absolute masterpiece.
A man without roots (2004) marks a return to the singer-songwriter's roots, although it remains in a style that combines what might be called blues pop and French chanson, with a fresh, nonchalant feel. This is the least orchestrated of his albums, but the one best suited to being listened to in the car on the way to a good trip.
After Get out (2009) and De Palmas (2013), the artist presented his new work last year, The beauty of gesture. The album revolves around the theme of violence, something new for the singer, no doubt linked to his break-up with his lover. We've got to fight, The day we got engaged as well as My little queen are real successes. Updated by borrowings from electronic music and contemporary rock, de Palmas' style is intact. And stronger than ever.
Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com
Header image: Gérald De Palmas, during his free concert, at the Loisinord base in Nœux-les-Mines, September 27, 2014. Source: Wikimedia CC0
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