De Palmas - La Beauté du Geste

Let him speak, he will pocket you.
After a half-missed album due to not having dared to go through with its ideas (the excellent "Serait-Il" being a case of not seeing the wood for the trees), De Palmas comes back to what he does best: writing acoustic songs in French. Always with this so personal guitar touch.

From start, "Il Faut Qu'On s'Batte" turns out to be a great standard-bearer of the album. Disillusioned eye on couple and advancement in life, giving up some ambitions. Age overnight Gerald? Possible, but this introspection, this analysis of yourself and others, sometimes close to misanthropy (the nagging funk "Mêmes Causes Mêmes Effets"), is a true rejoicing. May identify whoever wants!

The other subjects covered aren’t cheerful either: violence ("Lawrence d'Arabie" and its hypnotic synth), empathy for a girl who got dumped (the ballad "Rose Pleure"), appearances ("La Beauté du Geste" and the UFO "T'Es Belle à en Crever"), going off to war ("Le Jour de Nos Fiançailles").
Just one smile, "Bref", which states, one by one, the conditions which make – according to the author – a genuine beautiful personality. Interesting.

Musically, it’s all classic De Palmas, focused on his acoustic guitar. Not easy to label (but is it really worth?), this kind of soft rock rhythm n' blues in the French style, already copiously developed in Les Lois de la Nature. Do you remember? It was his second album, wrongly consigned to oblivion. You can find it about everywhere, under more mature arrangements.
A few variations though: the amazing disco-jerk "T'Es Belle à en Crever", that you won’t recover from, and the very pop "J'Ai Envie de Toi", of which I won’t unveil you the topic, you have to listen, because there is a trick – revealed at the first chorus.
I already gave you a clue: he will pocket you.