Fabienne DelSol

French-born vocalist Fabienne Delsol started her career as lead singer of the beat group-obsessed Bristols, then branched out on her own with a sound that started off in similar fashion but with some psychedelia and French pop added to the mix. Her first three albums for the Damaged Goods label released during the 2010s were a mix of originals (written by members of her band) and covers of obscure songs from the '60s that showed off her cool vocal style. After a long layoff, she returned in 2019 with Four, an album that had a (slightly) more modern approach and featured Delsol's first production credits. Delsol was born and raised in Limoges, a city in central France best known for producing porcelain and oak barrels; she was more interested in music, particularly rock & roll and Serge Gainsbourg, so in 1996 she moved to London. She soon struck up a friendship with Liam Watson, one of the founders of Toe Rag Studios, an analog recording facility favored by many on the London garage and beat revival scenes. Watson was looking to start a band, and while Delsol didn’t have much experience as a vocalist, he persuaded her to audition. Watson liked what he heard, and Delsol quickly became the lead singer for the Bristols. The combo earned an estimable reputation on the U.K. garage scene and released three singles and two LPs before splitting up in 2003. Delsol wasted no time establishing a solo career after the breakup; with Watson producing, she released her first solo album, No Time for Sorrows, in the fall of 2004. The album was a mix of covers and new songs penned by Pete Molinari, George Miller, and Peder Bernhardt with a crisper sound than the Bristols, hints of psychedelia, and a tune in French. Delsol followed the lead of her first solo effort on her second one, 2007’s Between You and Me, which featured songs by the same writers and included three sung in French. Her third solo effort, 2010's On My Mind, was again produced by Watson and brought in a new songwriter, bassist Tom Gardner of the Bees. The album leaned heavily on psychedelia and had the usual array of interesting covers, including a take on Joe Meek's "Ragunboneman." After a long break from recording, Delsol returned to Toe Rag Studio to record her fourth album, Four. She and one of the studio's engineers, Luke Oldfield, handled production chores, while Gardner and keyboardist Carwyn Ellis were on hand to help out. The album was the usual mix of newly penned Gardner originals and covers, this time delivered with less reverb and a more direct sound. Four was released by Damaged Goods in October of 2019.
© Mark Deming & Tim Sendra /TiVo