Tal Makes French Pop that Inspires

The French singer Tal is a young Urban Pop star known for her optimistic songs and authenticity. She’s been celebrated as a fresh and vibrant voice in French music, largely because she focuses on universal themes of hope, courage, and brotherhood rather than trite love and breakup songs. Her style blends R&B with mainstream Pop.

Née Tal Benyerzi, she moved to Paris from Israel when she was 1 year old. She’s a self-taught guitar and piano player, hailing from a family of musicians who were fond of American Soul, Jazz and R&B. Her musical influences include past and present R&B legends like Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and Alicia Keys. She’s also an avid dancer – a skill she often shows off in her music videos.

She was first discovered by the French Pop singer Gary Fico at age 16. By 19, she was signed to Sony and being hailed as the new princess of R&B. But it would take another few years for her to break through with the hit song that would make her a superstar.

By 2011 the singer had signed with a new label, and had the distinction of opening for Alicia Keys and Christophe Maé in concert. That summer, she released “On Avance” (“We Move Forward”), an anthem about young people searching for an identity. She was quickly embraced – especially by teens – and declared the voice of a generation.

Droit de Rever

Anxious fans and media critics alike were chomping at the bit for Tal’s full-length album. She had to delay the release of Droit de Rever to Spring 2012, at which time it debuted at number 7 on the charts. With its positive and uplifting vibe, the whole album is like “Pocketful of Sunshine” meets “Unwritten,” in French. (See: Bedingfield, Natasha.)

Droit de Rever spawned a string of hits including “On Avance,” “Waya Waya” (with Sean Paul), “Le Sens de la Vie,” “Je Prends le Large,” and “Rien n’est parfait.” (I didn’t care for “Waya Waya” because I’m picky about my Dancehall and I don’t like it co-mingling with my French Pop, but I enthusiastically endorse all the rest.)

Droit reached number 4 on the charts, went double platinum, and went on to become one of the top-selling albums of 2012. It was also nominated for a Victoire de la Musique for Best Urban Album, and Tal herself was nominated for Best New Artist.

If you’re really into French music, you should know that I chose this album as one of the must-have French Music Essentials.

(Please note: Tal’s albums are only available as physical CD’s in the U.S. No digital formats are available.)

Here are the videos for two of her biggest hits:

Génération Goldman

Tal teamed up with Matt Pokora (whom I consider the French Justin Timberlake) for a duet on the Generation Goldman tribute album to the 80’s hitmaker, Jean-Jacques Goldman. Together, they scored top 10 hit with the remake, “Evole-Moi.”

L’infini

In 2013, the singer released her sophomore album A L’Infini. She wanted to record an English album, and I guess this was the compromise: a heaping of English lyrics, appearances by Flo-Rida and the British group Little Mix, and production that sounds like everything on the U.S. charts.

This album feels like it was packaged to market her internationally (read: to the Anglo audience), and that’s my biggest complaint about it. If I’d wanted a Rihanna album, I’d’ve bought one.

On the plus side, she co-wrote half the songs, and her signature optimism and positive lyrics remain intact. A L’Infini reached number 3 on the French charts and achieved triple platinum status.

“Une autre personne” is Franglish R&B, with an Electro-Hop, DJ Mustard-type baseline reminiscent of Chris Brown’s “Loyal.” (Little Mix appears on the bonus track version.) “Danse” is fun, but it’s marred by the wholly unnecessary presence of Flo-Rida. The track was perfectly fine without him, though it’s not the first time an American artist was added to lend some buzz to a French track, and it surely won’t be the last.

“À l’International” has a bit of a Reggae feel and a regrettable English rap by Tal herself in the middle. I didn’t think it was quite catchy enough to be a single, but nevertheless it sounds unique among everything else in rotation these days.

The title track, written by Sia (of “Chandelier,” “Breathe Me,” and Zero 7 fame), is a Timbaland-esque minimalist piano ballad with an EDM-like rising build to the chorus. It’s not bad, but it feels like filler. I like the fighting spirit of “Something New,” but its too-slick production and all-English lyrics (“get off the cray-cray”) relegate it to background noise. She’s just trying too hard here, I’m afraid. I’d rather listen to Katy Perry’s “Roar,” which has all of the perseverance, none of the profanity, and an actual melody.

Overall, I think hardcore Tal fans will love her no matter what she does. I’m glad her message hasn’t changed at all, but I hope she realizes that simpler is better. She doesn’t need the American-friendly gimmicks or the guest appearances or the super-slick production. Those are things you do to cover up a LACK of talent, which we know this amazing artist doesn’t suffer from.

Now, here’s a track from A L’Infini that truly shines. Check out “Marcher au Soleil.”

One of the album’s bonus tracks is her remake of Jean-Jacques Goldman’s “Pas Toi,” which also appears on Génération Goldman Vol. 2. She’s brilliant here, showing off both her vocal and piano chops.

Similar Artists: Shy’m, Kenza Farah, Wallen