I'm Listening To: This Is ReDeYe

I'm really overdue writing about this CD. Guillaume, I'm very sorry about that.

"This Is ReDeYe" is the first all-English CD released by French musician Guillaume Fresneau. Up until now, I've only known him musically through the group Dahlia. (Sorry - that link to the Dahlia information is to a French website.)

But I'm very lucky to have had Fresneau, his parents, and his siblings as long-time friends, although I haven't seen Guillaume in a very long time. He was a very interesting boy and young man, and I have no doubt that he's a terrific adult, too.

But I didn't realize, when he was a kid, that he was such a talented musician. He certainly is!

"This Is ReDeYe" is a fascinating CD. I feel influences of a number of famous singer-songwriters - like Townes Van Zandt, as a primary example. I wonder if Fresneau's time in Texas is responsible for some of this sound?

To me, this is a very intimate album. The songs have intriguing lyrics. The presentation is very simple - in some cases, it's only Fresneau's voice and his guitar. A few of the tracks seem incomplete, almost like unresolved feelings. Fresneau's songwriting really shines through, without any sense of the heavy-handed production which plagues many current artists.

This CD really gets to me. It gets to my heart and soul.

Thanks so much for sharing so much with us, Guillaume! I eagerly await what you're going to do next.

Janet