Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
In any walk of life, the hardest everyday occurrence to overcome is the language barrier, even for those who profess to speak the same mother tongue can often misinterpret the smallest act of communication, it is how hostilities begin, it is how wars start, and how suspicions are raised; the way we look at someone and then judge them for the way they speak, the local dialect they use, the words they offer in love and in violence, are always one that can be misunderstood, misconstrued and forever lost to time.
If language is a barrier, then the art of music is the interpreter stood in the crowd making sure everybody knows how the words are meant to be felt, dressed in the robes of the art form, its assistance is there to push the message of those willing to get past the language barrier, who wish to offer a truth of expression to those who wish to converse and enjoy conversation.
To overcome language differences is not only a sign of maturity, but of willingness to be involved with people on a different level, and it is to our eternal shame as British people that we quite often expect others to fall in line with us, rather than take the leap, the huge chance to speak in another tongue. It is therefore doubly impressive that French singer-songwriter Mathieu Boogaerts has taken the time to deliver his debut English language album, Boogaerts en Anglais, an album of beautiful simplicity, of flavour and one that reflects superbly on the artist; for in making the effort to converse with those around him, he has raised the bar for them to return the honourand take seriouslyhis approach to the craft.
Across tracks such as Am I Crazy, You Like Me, Guy Of Steel, I Won’t Follow You, the superb The Price and I Belong, Mathieu Boogaerts doesn’t take a wrecking ball to the process of removing barriers, he considerately, skilfully and with understanding, speak gently through the a hole in the wall he has fashioned out of appreciation, and taken all that divides and made first contact with those nearby, with a smile on his face as the penny drops on all on the other side of the wall.
Music is the great unifier, it is the practised handshake and smile that brings people closer to understanding even before a word is spoken, and in Boogaerts en Anglais, the introduction is well versed, gentle and earth- shatteringly cool.
Mathieu Boogaerts’ Boogaerts en Anglais is out now.
Ian D. Hall