So nice to have your label, and Freaksville is a very good indie label, that can put out your stuff. And Belgian singer Benjamin Schoos has put out such a serious number of albums on the label he curates. I can hardly tell you how he managed to do so. Supposedly he was also a wrestler, an astronaut, a stuntman and an adventurer. This all could be a figment of Benjamin’s imagination, but at the moment, along singing and managing Freaksville, he is also a producer, has a radio show, is an actor and illustrator. Phew!
Since his back catalog is probably owned by only die-hard fans, Schoos has decided to make a compilation of his music, but to make it manageable, he limited his choice only to his last three albums, spanning the years 2012 to 2016. And that turned into “Profession Chanteur”.
The first thing you realize listening to this compilation is that, as with people like Serge Gainsbourg ( a heady comparison), even if you don’t know a single word of French, you don’t care. The music, arrangements, vocals are so gripping and good that you simply enjoy. You can even pretend to understand and feel good about it. Having Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab fame and April March dieting with you here and there helps even further.
Knowing the language helps immensely since Schoos knows his way with words too. He obviously also has a, you can hear why Schoos is sought as a producer because he is able to come up with some great orchestral arrangements that are neither mushy or overbearing.
As is the case with any compilation, particularly as good as this one, you are left wondering whether the author was able to pick only the good stuff, making you doubt whether he is that good. But, of course, there is only one thing to make sure - check put his other albums. I certainly will.
