Quinze Scores with Eclectic French R&B

With a fresh sound and a vocal range encompassing both the soulful falsetto of Pharrell Williams and the sultry tenor of Luther Vandross, Quinze is an R&B singer worth following.

Born just outside Paris, the independent artist Quinze was first inspired by the American Soul record collection of his father. He made his first recorded appearance in 1998 (alongside the preeminent R&B songstress K-reen) on an album by French New Jack artist Hasheem.

Between 2000 and 2003, he participated in Soul / R&B compilations including one DJ Cut Killer (France’s equivalent of DJ Clue or Funkmaster Flex), with some of the songs getting picked for airplay on urban radio in Paris.

Girlfriend

Quinze released his Pop-Soul debut album Girlfriend on his own independent label in 2006, and scored a crossover hit with its rock-tinged title track. Girlfriend was a classic album that was really ahead of its time. It’s worth getting your hands on if you’re an R&B fan.

He promoted the project and further built his cred and his fan base by performing as the opening for Corneille and other well-known Soul artists touring in France.

Oublions

In 2010, Quinze released his second album, Oublions. I can’t really assign it to a particular era or sound — but I actually think that timelessness is a good thing. Some of the melodies and harmonies that hearken back to the 90’s, but there’s also some Nu Soul, Pop, and Funk, but nothing that feels like he’s trying to ride a trend. I guess that’s the beauty of being an independent artist — you can record what you want.

The singer made a ton of videos for the album — I guess because the internet is the cheapest distribution channel for an indie artist. I really like “Jamais,” “Seul,” “Les Enfants” (a beautiful acoustic piano ballad), and “Mon Nom Sur Tes Levres” (“My Name on Your Lips”). The latter is a song that has actually been floating around since 2005 or so and it finally made its way onto an official album. Check out some of the tracks:

Here’s a slow jam I like called “Tant Besoin de Toi.”

The video for the title track “Oublions” was filmed in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris.

In 2013, Quinze released Back to Soul, a retro-themed album that harkens back to the Motown and Stax Records heyday, channeling the sounds of Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and the like. I personally think we’ve long since reached the saturation point with throwback Soul, even in French. (Oncle Ben already covered this ground thoroughly.)

This clip will give you a little taste of what the project is like — with a little a capella intro from the man himself.

His 4th album, Multicolor, is sung in English. It’s decent R&B, and I applaud his mastery of singing in a second language…I just don’t know what’s in it for me as a fan of French music.

What do you think of this French R&B singer? Leave a comment below.