Posted on 06/25/2008
The Jon B. comparisons are inevitable for Freddy – he’s ambiguously complexioned and makes ample use of Gaye-esque falsettos over bass-laden R&B tracks. No matter that he’s Parisian and so his debut Mes Couleurs (My Colors) is wholly French; it doesn’t disguise the fact that this record could be beloved ’90s R&B resurrected.

As a Canadian, with eight years of French instruction under my proverbial beret, I’m going to admit that my comprehension of anything lingual on Mes Couleurs is restricted to tenuous translations of the track titles. That out of the way leads me to this album’s selling point: Freddy’s honeyed voice. What this record – with its groovy, but semi-underwhelming production – does is showcase that. It’s an album crafted for a singer, as opposed to an artist. Ample backing vocals, sound-swelling soul harmonies, and the aforementioned falsetto emphasize Freddy’s clear and seemingly effortless timbre.

Mes Couleurs uses harmonizing, melodic bass lines, and jazz inflections in a pseudo-nostalgic way to recapture the sound of Freddy’s influences, which range from A Tribe Called Quest to Mint Condition. And the electric keyboard and beat boxing outro on “Sucre Ebene” and easy ride cymbal-laden “Elles veulent tout” are signs of an ardent D’Angelo fan.

Following that thought, there’s still nothing avant garde in the production or song structure on , and so it’s easier to draw comparisons instead of pointing out what makes Freddy unique. Still, it’s sexy enough to play when you want to impress your date with something other than a well-torsoed Soulquarian or long-lost ’90s R&B phenom.

- Anupa Mistry