Ben L'Oncle Soul

The self-titled 2010 debut brought “Soulman” to a wide audience, with its French lyric and immediately welcoming groove. The album moved between French and English, using classic soul instrumentation without letting the language change disrupt the musical identity. The voice could be relaxed and expressive at once, making the performance feel close even when the arrangement was richly furnished.

His version of “Seven Nation Army” showed another side of that approach. A familiar rock song became the starting point for a new rhythmic and vocal setting. The pleasure was in hearing what survived the change and what acquired another meaning. That willingness to treat a song as something to inhabit, rather than an object to reproduce, became an important part of his recorded character.

À coup de rêves in 2014, made with the American band Monophonics, gave the music a particularly connected instrumental setting. The live-band feeling allowed the voice to work with changes in groove and texture rather than carrying every expressive detail by itself. The record’s French writing and soul framework belonged to one shared musical world, with the players giving the songs room to develop.

Under My Skin in 2016 approached songs associated with Frank Sinatra from another angle, bringing their melodies into contemporary soul, rhythm and texture. The repertoire changed, but the singer’s way of making a phrase feel conversational remained recognisable. Across these records, the strongest connection is the relationship between an established musical form and an individual voice willing to loosen it, warm it and find a different route through a familiar line.