There is no music that fits so perfectly to your summer feeling like Zofka’s music! The sound of their songs is new and fresh, futuristic and retro at the same time, a wonderful melange of downbeat chanson, electropop, nu-jazz and chill out, some sort of nu-chanson. Zofka’s remarkable art is to make electronic music sound warm, expressive and full of emotions. Their music reminds you of a charming trip to the south coast of France, the Cote D’Azur. Zofka elegantly combines unique melange of French chanson and musette, electronic beats and pop-elements married with the remarkable and sublime soul-voice of the vocalist Myriam Russo.
“Scrubbing the kitchen tiles in your rubber gloves on a Saturday morning isn’t the ideal situation to express all facets of femininity“, laughs Myriam Russo. “But Zofka takes care of that“. The soulful chanteuse never misses an opportunity to be generous with allure.
“Chocolat, seduis-moi”, she sings devotedly and composedly in the first few lines of the title track. It isn’t long before the listener realizes that chocolate stands for the true symbol of sensuality, the eternal game between the seductress and the seduced. The fascination of these roles being suddenly switched is used as a medium to wander between musical styles.
The album belongs again to that place where the salty sea air breezes through open windows to creased bed sheets and where the scent of freshly-baked croissants drifts up the stairwell, where the evening’s clattering high-heels on cobble stones simulates the pulse of life. It is a place where life itself is thrilled with daily adventures - in the glittering midday sun. 'The Côte d’Azur' is omnipresent in the both the language and the accordant notes....and this is only to start with.
Zofka send Chocolat’s dozen nouvelle chanson tracks on a journey. From the word go we are taken on an intoxicating passage (Sexy marin) to a smoky, tango-filled bar in Argentina. Zofka’s version of the Grace Jones classic: ‘I’ve seen that face before’ (Libertango) is moulded by the same trenchant longing as the original. It isn’t long before they transform Jones’ song into a true piece of Chocolat. In Central America rumba and cha-cha stake their claim with Jeune robot and C’est la vie.
Zofka - Chocolat
A hop, skip and jump northwards sees French charm converge with Hollywood Cinema, with a dose of rhythm and blues during a drive in a convertible along Beverly Hills’ Wilshire Boulevard (Smilla). The journey then leads us back to European metropolises: in London Zofka are decked out in the coyly convincing attire of old soul classics of days gone with ‘Laissez-moi – Que voulez-vous?’ before strolling along Paris’ sun-drenched boulevards with ‘Tu me dis oui, tu me dis non’ followed by the final statement (J’ai tellement besoin de toi) that takes us back to where it all began (Embrasse-moi – A licence to kiss).
The last and ultimate devotion to life and passion doesn’t need any words: chocolate reprise. Zofla can take a lot on board without going overboard. Myriam Russo’s unique voice and Michael Ricar’s stand-alone and daring tight-rope walkesque fastidiously chosen electro-acoustic sound dimension become perfect and constant companions on the album’s seductive journey.
“Chocolat” is more than a musical journey; it’s a sensual – even erotic – experience. Zofka’s fourth album, with its mathematically undefined tempo, makes you want to do one and only one thing. The atmosphere it creates – turning every bead of sweat and every tear into a jewel – is far from the trade’s usual pop pornography. This is a gentle and passionate game of disguise and disclosure. New-chanson eroticism: première classe. The velvety, confident voice of Myriam Russo leaves no doubt that anyone who dares to come to close or asks for too much, can well and truly get their fingers burned.
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