Festival de la Chanson à Texte de Montcuq : Nicolas Moro

"Nicolas Moro is a singer-songwriter I'd never heard of, and it has to be said that the media aren't exactly falling over themselves to talk about him. It's a shame, though, because here are some top-quality songs that could reach a much wider audience. In fact, I knew Nicolas Moro without knowing it, because for many years he was a member of Opa Tsupa, a band that played a lot of shenanigans, and whose excellent album I had reviewed. This explains the great qualities of Mr Moro, a talented multi-instrumentalist (guitars of course, but also banjo, harmonica, lap steel, dobro, mandolin?), a huge plus compared to his fellow singers who often accompany themselves on guitar, rarely going beyond 3 or 4 chords. Nicolas Moro loves all kinds of music, as long as it's good; in his albums (3 to date), he reviews the aesthetics he favors, choosing with taste and appropriateness the instrumentation that best suits a given song (for example, on the CD "L'amour est un oiseau volage", "le convive" with New Orleans jazz piano, "Louise", which proves that he's in the tradition of Patrick Verbeke, and "L'amour est un oiseau volage", with a new Orleans jazz piano)dans la peau", a 30s-style jazz tune with a "doctored" voice and brass section, "Twist à mourir", a potential hit with a fine electric guitar solo, "Le dernier rang", a Hot Tuna-style blues with Hawaiian guitar, trumpet and whistle?a real tube again? The musicians are on top form, and each track leaves room for a little chorus. Nicolas Moro?s writing is of the highest quality, with a discreet Brassensian influence; his well-crafted lyrics are permeated by an omnipresent light-hearted humor, as our man constantly plays with language (cf. "Le destin des affreux" or "Montmorillon swing"). While his inspiration is diverse and varied, he shows a certain affection for the theme of the lover who has no bowl. This is a song with class, freshness and wit (cf. "Je fais des affaires", which Dimey would have loved). I hardly know of an equivalent in today?s chanson, but the term "chanson" is reductive when it comes to Nicolas Moro, a true artist who is a must-discover." Francis Couvreux. NOVEMBER 2022