Paul Grégoire is a multidisciplinary artist from Canada. Since 1970 he has been active in the fields of sculpture, music, literature, and performance. In the 90s he played saxophone in several groups in the bars and galleries of Québec. From 1996 till 1999 he was the sax-player and singer of Whisky Blanc. In 2004 he recorded some of the songs he played with this group for his first solo album Douleur Sourde. It’s an album of traditional songs. The music is slow and melodious, and often borrowed from a known repertoire. The album opens with Jardin d’ogives. It has a great solo by Jean Derome on sax. We hear more evergreens of this kind on this album. Not exactly my cup of tea. But I must say all the songs have been arranged with taste. Grégoire has the company of some reputated musicians like Jean Derome (sax), René Lussier (guitar, etc.) and Michel F. Coté (drums). Also lesser known musicians were invited like guitarist Drae Rival and drummer Jonas Slowenski. They do a good job, and give funny and interesting interpretations of the songs. Grégoire wrote all the lyrics that are sung by him in french, a language I do not speak. So I can’t tell you what the lyrics are about. But the information says they are “unique, occasionally anecdotal, always sensitive, and present a certain level of reflection on social matters and a touch of humor, while remaining dark”.