The German singer Patrice (aka Patrice Bart-Williams) teams up with his compatriots from the Silly Walks Movement. The best of Patrice, on an album that is a little short but effective.
Besides a name that leaves one dubious (a reference to the Ministry of Silly Walks from Monty Python?), the Germans of the Silly Walks Movements above all have a sound, clear and direct. A quality production that allows Patrice to break out of his mould as a singer for lovestruck teenagers. And this even though he has not abandoned the folk ballads that partly defined his style from his first album, "Ancient Spirit", in 1999. The acoustic guitar thus becomes the sole instrument on the opening Truly Majestic and on I'll Be Near, well made but a little boring.
The rest: modern reggae, punchy and effective. The bass and drums duo, the real leader of the tracks, injects fine energy as on Moonrise with its heavy rhythm, or Feel It now, which nonetheless loses some of its power over its duration. "It's so good to be alive, because you are by my side", declares Patrice, true to his themes, on Everyday Good, nicely underscored by the female backing vocals. Let us finally mention Feel Alone, where the guitar weighs in from the outset, and Oness with its beautiful opening, where Patrice's voice cracks Marley-style over an instrumental rich in arrangements. Undeniably, the Silly Walks know how to hold a riddim. An album that is a little short (10 tracks, dub included) but which ends with the impression that Patrice is heading in the right direction.
