Quesaco?

Paris Combo are an iconic Parisian band, carried by the voice and the twinkling presence of Bénédicte Grimault, aka Belle du Berry – in reference to her region of birth, Berry in central France. The group recorded their first album with independent label Boucherie Productions and achieved great success in the 2000s in France and internationally. While Belle du Berry suddenly died of cancer in 2020, this seventh album, written and recorded just before her illness, resonates as a vibrant tribute.

Paris Combo have always expressed the musical flavour of cosmopolitan Paris, halfway between a tradition of French chanson réaliste, steeped in cabaret, Gypsy jazz and bossa, mixed with a more modern sound and contemporary arrangements. Quesaco?, in the same vein as the previous albums, sounds like a relaxing stroll through a postcard Paris, yet features bittersweet titles, between existential reflections, prickly verses, and carefree lightness. Belle du Berry, lyricist and accordionist, started in the 80s on the Parisian punk music scene and progressed to the cabaret songs. The freshness of her voice over the years in Paris Combo and the picture of a colourful tradition of Parisian songs that she embodied will be sadly missed.