Review | Vianney to bring his honey-soaked tones to Hong Kong
French singer-songwriter to play Mom Livehouse, in North Point, on September 29 & 30
Vianney
Lili Louise Musique
Much like my grasp of the language, my knowledge of French music is embarrassingly limited, beginning – and pretty much ending – with Vanessa Paradis’ 1988 hit Joe Le Taxi. Apparently, 26-year-old French singer-songwriter Vianney Bureau is a bit of a thing in his home country, and understanding why isn’t exactly science-roquette.
Vianney, as he is known, sings heartfelt tunes straight out of the Ed Sheeran/James Blunt silky-smooth songbook, although the vocalist’s warm honey-soaked tones are so effortless they make Ed sound more like punk icon Henry Rollins by comparison. After releasing his critically acclaimed debut, Idées blanches , in 2014, Vianney had quite a 2016: being named performing artist of the year at the Victoires de la Musique and releasing his sophomore album, the double-platinum Vianney.
Much of the album, predominantly made up of acoustic guitar and piano ballads, is driven by rich melancholic harmonies and coloured by Monsieur Bureau‘s golden vocals. Lead single Je m’en vais tugsat the heartstrings whether you understand the lyrics or not.
Catch Vianney at Mom Livehouse, in North Point, on September 29 and 30.
