Herbert Léonard left us on March 2 at the age of 79, after having fought for a long time against lung cancer. Five months after his disappearance, a posthumous album is about to see the light of day. Entitled “I would like to tell you about me”, he will be released on October 10.
The announcement of this album has deeply moved his fans, just like the words of his wife, Cléo, who continues to receive numerous testimonies of support. On Facebook, she launched a touching call: “Don’t forget Herbert right away. If you can, sing it with your heart. Love him a little more and think of him from time to time, or often. »»
A message received five out of five by the admirers of the interpreter of “For pleasure”, a legendary title which has passed in more than two million copies.
A disc born in the shadow of the disease
Until the end, Herbert Léonard worked on this album, despite the difficulties related to his health. His voice, surprisingly intact, holds a central place there. A first extract has just been revealed: “I would like to talk to you about myself”, a title composed by the artist himself, whose first seconds suggest the whole emotional charge of this disc.
This single, also the title of the album, will be available in its entirety on August 29.
Composed of eight titles, this album mixes unpublished songs and new versions of the artist’s classics. Some titles today take on a particularly moving, almost premonitory dimension: “start without me”, “such was my life”, “spring will not come”, or even “I die”.
Among the reinterpretations, we will notably find “Du Blé du Jonc des Radis” (1971) or “Petite Nathalie” (1981), the favorite song of Jean-Jacques Goldman.
A farewell letter in music
Thought as a love letter addressed to his audience, this last album comes to close a rich career started in the 1960s. Born in Strasbourg on February 25, 1945, Herbert Léonard had left college at 16 to learn the guitar, starting as a musician in several groups before launching solo. His voice, his elegance and his repertoire will have marked several generations.
