Local Album Review: Yves Giraud - Hello; CD Release Show Tonight at Bardot

This week, Crossfade is taking a look at a number of recent releases from Fernando Perdomo's new local-centric label, Forward Motion.

Yves Giraud
Hello
(Forward Motion)

Who says the French have to be haughty? On this, Yves Giraud's American introduction, he spins an amiable sound not unlike that of John Mayer before Mayer opted to turn himself into a so-called serious guitar-slinger. Giraud takes a psuedo-jazzy spin that leaves plenty of room for pop and only occasionally ramps up. (For proof, check out the gathering frenzy of "Wait For Me" or the good-natured rocker "Avant").

Mostly though, Hello is full of cheery greetings by holding to a breezy template, as manifest by the light and lilting "Hello," "Human Way," and "It's Gonna Be Today." It's also the kind of sound that will charm the ladies in particular, even sans a glass of Beaujolais or trace of a native accent.

Indeed, "War of the Roses" may be in contention for the seduction song of the year. My wife, a major Mayer fan, took notice barely 30 seconds into the album, an instant embrace that's rare, to say the least.

Listen to "Wait For Me" below, and check out Yves tonight at Bardot, when he plays his CD release party.

Yves Giraud. 10 p.m. Tuesday, August 31. Bardot, 3456 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Admission is free; age 21 and up. 305-576-7750; bardotmiami.com