Florence Joelle - Stealing Flowers

by Lisa Torem

published: 8 / 6 / 2013

Label: Zoltan Records
Format: CD

Superb classic jazz-influenced second album from Parisian-born but now London-based singer-songwriter, Florence Joelle

Review

A Parisian native, now living in London, Florence Joelle brings the tastes of many cultures to her second album, 'Stealing Flowers'. The CD is cleverly pressed to look like a vintage recording and the cover shot is homey and warm. She’s gone all the way to package her follow-up to 2011’s 'Kiss of Fire' well. The party begins with the effervescent, jazzy ‘Devil’s Overdraft’. The second cut ’29 Bus Blues’ starts innocently – “If you just missed one the next is never too far away,” but then the drama begins. The thick-as-paste bass underlines the story of an assault: “A man kicks her to the ground,” Joelle recounts. The tragedy heats up as the versatile vocalist papers the moon with her crisp blues harp action. The title song is booming with bongos. And, seriously, when is the last time your ears have been treated to that kind of communication? It’s a very cool arrangement, which swings like a monkey dangling from a flailing branch. Next up is Duke Ellington’s ‘Caravan’, which is one of three covers – the rest are originals. It is tastefully executed and spiked with Paul Seacroft’s exciting pedal steel. ‘ESP’ is framed by castanets and congas. It is the most experimental of the tracks, and doesn’t quite hit the mark. The profound ‘How Many Chickens Are You Missing Today?’ is a protest song about the expulsion of Roma from France in 2010. There is a lot of passion in the lyrics and performance; especially the flamenco flourishes. ‘So What?’ is exciting from the first blues harp lick to the last sizzling chord. But the real treat is ‘Coucou,’ which she sings in her native tongue. It is flawlessly performed with a charming classicism. ‘The God of Things,’ written about the London riots in 2011, really gives way to goosebumps. ‘Dreamer Man’ finds Joelle in perfect form. Her breathy sensual Eartha Kitt-ish approach to singing is highly contagious and appealing; particularly engulfed, as she is here, in Latin beats. The Louis Jordan signature, ‘Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby’ is another crowd pleaser and greatly contrasts the closer, ‘Darkest Before Dawn.’ This is a refreshing album, which Joelle and her artists perform in a serious, but celebratory manner. There’s not one penny pinching moment in “Stealing Flowers” – that’s for sure.

Track Listing:-

1 Devil's Overdraft
2 29 Bus Blues
3 Stealing Flowers
4 Caravan
5 ESP
6 How Many Chickens Are You Missing Today?
7 So What?
8 Coucou
9 The God Of Things
10 Dreamer Man
11 Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby
12 Darkest Before Dawn