Raoul Vignal - Years in Marble

by Maarten Schiethart

published: 9 / 6 / 2021

Label: Talitres
Format: CD

Exquisite and rich folk on latest album from French singer-songwriter and guitarist Raoul Vignal

Review

Not exactly a townie recluse, Raoul Vignal moved to the countryside during lockdown to do some recording, and the 'Years In Marble' album notably oozes with a bucolic and freewheeling contemporary folk music sound. Once a travelling man, with stints in Paris, Berlin and Lyon counting in his itinerary, he began writing songs for 'Years In Marble' in the French capital in September 2020. I tend to avoid comparisons but in case you insist: I'd mention James Yorkston. Yorkstonites might find much to Summerly rejoice in Vignal's 'Years in Marble'. Whilst as much as one would long for the pastoral vineyards 'dans la douce France', in this case the gorgeous Burgundy, 'Years in Marble' is a crystal clear musical rural adventure. At times reminiscent of Leo Kottke's finger picking licks, Vignal adds a lyrical depth in words which seems exclusively French. Purveyors of good taste and good will,, Talitres grants a home to a myriad of pop LPs, and its name has become associated with an exquisite but acquired taste. 'Years in Marble' is very much a further example of this. The driving beat on 'Coastal Town'; the guitar play on 'Red Fresco'; the husky stamina on 'Summer High' or the subtle touch on drama on 'To Bid the Dog Goodbye' or 'By A Thread' - the most Leo Kottkenesque of all tracks - are a very agreeable endeavour into the calm and quiet of where someone has found his or her peace.

Track Listing:-

1 City Birds
2 Century Man
3 Coastal Town
4 Red Fresco
5 Silence
6 Summer Sigh
7 A River Runs Wild
8 To Bid the Dog Goodbye
9 Heart of the Lake
10 By a Thread
11 Moonlit Visit