Frànçois & The Atlas Mountains releases “L’homme à la rivière” featuring Yasmine Hamdan
A pivotal single, following in the wake of Âge Fleuve, this track is a creative reimagining in French of “River Man”, the cult jewel by Nick Drake, first released in 1969 on his debut album Five Leaves Left. Though his work remained confidential until his death, Nick Drake is now recognized as one of the major and timeless figures of English folk.
François offers a poetic and contemporary translation, where themes of freedom, solidarity, and inner exploration are revealed in French. For this journey, he invited Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan, pioneer of the independent Middle Eastern scene with Soapkills and internationally acclaimed for her albums Ya Nass (2013) and Al Jamilat (2017).
“Her voice, full of languid arabesques, makes me think of a flowing river. Here, she helps reveal a little more of the identity of this strange character in Nick Drake’s original song. This River Man – who is he? A guide? A sage? A madman? The mystery remains. I like to think he is a great contemplative.” adds François.