Album Notes

"Troubadours" is the first official release by the duo the Black Veils, writer-musicians Robert Alfonso and Todd Heller, whose passion for music, literature, language, and international understanding inspired this set of recordings. Seven of the thirteen songs on this disc are their own poetic and faithful translations of French "chansons" by 1960's giants Georges Moustaki, Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens, and Leo Ferré. But the six originals here show wider influences: from Brazilian Edu Lobo in the French samba "Mon amour d'antan" to Tom Waits in the otherwise unaccountable tri-lingual "Tango Ultimo." And how do you describe a line like "We'll... do our magic when the lawyers come" ("Angel on a Pony") except as Dylanesque?