RAPHELSON | July 2012

Five years after «Hold This Moment Still», his fine, delicate first solo album, Raphelson is back with «Everything Was Story, Story Was Everything». The title mirrors the fine variations and subtleties in the songs hidden behind it and the stories are those of the many encounters that are the basis of this album. Building on his past, Raphael Enard pushes his music forward with a little help from an array of diverse musicians.

The first track recorded for this album is «The Devil Danced», a beautiful acoustic ballad graced by an elegant string arrangement courtesy of the Barbouze de chez Fior quartet and a surprising rhythmical enhancement by tap dancer Laurent Bortolli. Further on, «Safe And Sound» showcases the beautiful bluesy trumpet of jazzman Erik Truffaz. Christine Ott magnetizes «Horns In My Heart» with her ondes Martenot already heard accompanying luminaries such as Radiohead or Yann Tiersen.

These interesting, often surprising collaborations are perfectly integrated into the musical universe of Raphelson. In his world of many sonic colors, he mixes classic instrumentations (piano-voice, guitar-voice) with more exotic instruments (banjo, saw, mellotron) without ever forgetting that at the heart of his art lies the song. No artificial glitter, just a fine touch of the outside to bring his songwriting in slightly different directions.

Songs of fields and dirt, melodies of clear blue skies fill this melancholic record carried by the fragile, touching voice of the singer. And amidst all the new found friends there is still an old accomplice: John Parish (PJ Harvey, The Kills) produces and plays, adding his usual touch of class to the project. For a passionate artist like Raphelson, be they present, past or future, these stories are everything.