DENEZ

After Ur mor a zaeloù, which celebrated the gwerz three years ago, he returns with a superb album, Toenn-vor, a vibrant tribute to the sea. With this thirteenth album, Denez invites us to immerse ourselves in a repertoire that is new to him, that of the sea, which he revisits with audacity.

This magnificent opus features fifteen tracks, including gwerzioù, laments, ballads, sea shanties, and work songs, in both Breton and French, which is unusual for him. The entire maritime heritage of Brittany is revisited here, magnified by both traditional instruments and contemporary electronic sounds.
The album features a collective of musicians, several of whom have been accompanying him regularly for several years. Jonathan Dour on viola, Antoine Lahay on guitar, and Julien Stevenin on double bass. But also Hibu Corbel (drums), Jean-Michel Moal (accordion), Ronan Le Bars (uilleann pipes), Romain Dubois from the group Fleuves (keyboards), Robin Foster (electric guitar), the three members of the group O'Tridal, the trio Brou-Hamon-Quimbert, the singers from the group Kaolila, and many others.
The album begins with La Tramontane, a traditional lament sung by the band Djiboudjep in the 1970s. Next comes Tri ano, a gwerz written by Denez, which recounts a terrible battle between the English and the French. This is followed by Plac'h an Dourdu, Deuit d'am batiment, and Quand nous avons parti de rade. As the tracks unfold, we recognize a few classics: Le capitaine de Saint-Malo, Gwerz Penmarc'h, Les filles de Lorient, Gabier à Terre-Neuve. Not to mention a cover of Ur vag a Vontroulez, passed down to Denez by his grandmother, a song already featured on his second album in 1996, Ar Gouriz Koar. The album closes with a highly original interpretation of Jacques Brel's Amsterdam.
With Toenn-vor, Denez does not seek to reproduce the past, but to offer a bold interpretation of maritime heritage. Throughout the album, we hear his instantly recognizable voice and his Léon accent. A unique and powerful voice that brings emotional intensity to the lyrics he interprets and sublimates.

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