It begins with an intense, warm gust, a balmy summer breeze, caressing and sensual… “Joy” is the opening track of Shazz’s new album. The voice of Shazz’s partner and friend for more than 15 years – Alex C, his spiritual brother – glides with the usual emotion over a blanket of strings and jazz-inspired chords. This really is the ideal way to begin our journey through Shazz’s new album, the record he dreamt of for so long, the one that suggests that for every path, there is finally a very logical destination.

A perfect landing in the love-struck country of ultra-sensitive pop. Shazz writes songs and he is proud of it. Filled with new strength, the artist and the producer finally got together on this record, almost like the first for Shazz. The beat and sound give an idea of the highly polished, calculated terrain of this new creative venture for a man who was a pioneer and scout in the world of electronic music. Shazz has always tended towards the melodic and slightly melancholic side of the genre, which is far too readily associated with partying and infinite, hypnotic, robotic invention. So “This Rhythm Sound” accurately resumes Shazz’s message, with his constant desire to construct his music within the constraints of pop spontaneity.

Voices too were needed to convey the direction and meanings of Shazz’s inspiration. Deborah Parker had the voice that Shazz had always been searching for, a voice made for jazz standards that he would turn to the trembling delights of soul and R&B. Deborah Parker, a white songstress, sings with all the power of a black soul.

Shazz has a creator’s love for jazz. However, this does not rule out lighter dalliances with the white disco that sprang up on the edge of the Eighties. Nancy Danino, the main resident singer for Snooze and Dominique Dalcan, can work miracles. “I don’t know what to do” displays all the chic attitude needed to bring a shine to the ever-symbolic Top of the Pops dance floor. As Shazz well knows, you should never deny your background. In its own way, “So into you” pays subtle tribute to the Moroder/Summer duo who turned dance into non-stop ecstasy. The range of possibilities is emphasised by the very English “My Heart”, assuming a more singular identity.

So we welcome this unashamed artist who dares to be himself and attempt what might normally be unthinkable for someone who has grown up with machines. If proof were needed, it comes in the form of the red-hot “On and on”, a pure acoustic vibration from Shazz’s new range. It may all also be due to the fact that Shazz was recently given his first guitar or that a drummer joined his team for the first time – Pierre Alain Dahan, musician on the legendary “Melody Nelson” and drummer with the group Voyage. The soul system is firmly in place, with songs such as “My only love”, “In your eyes” or the stunning “Cold”, led by the voice of Laura Mayne-Kerbrat. All these songs form an album that inspires love because it speaks of love alone.

The meeting, 7th heaven, the storms, then the serenity of those who know how to tend their patch as a lover. Back to “Beautiful”… “Beautiful” is the name of a song and also the title of Shazz’s brand new album. The most important of his career because it is the exact sum of all the records that went before. “Beautiful”, like the desire to soothe the world’s turmoil too… In his work as an artist, Shazz is always in search of a sense of elevation. It is with this feeling that he is already anticipating the swallow dive he will have to make to give a little more of himself in live performance. That will provide a concrete expression of the long-awaited dialogue between the public and Shazz, always divided between light and dark. This time, he seems to have chosen the path that leads fastest to the light. Shazz shows himself, but still closes his eyes. He now knows why he makes music. To be loved. This is the price he asks of those who know how to listen to his music, for the precious and ever mysterious trance of melancholy. (by Didier Varrod- http://www.shazzmusic.com)

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