If you have been following our adventures, in recent months, you have already been told that Canadian singer-songwriter Genesis Ritchot was preparing an acoustic album. A long-standing project that we talked about together in an interview in our "Indie Hour" podcast in February. Today is a big day for Genesis because this new album is finally born, and it's called "Twenty-two Strings"! And as his partner prepares to give birth to their first child in the next few hours, this week could be unforgettable for him!

An acoustic project that has always been close to his heart, as he told us in this interview:

"I'm really proud of this project. Because when I first started recording and producing music, my first goal was to record an acoustic album. But then, when I discovered how to put more instruments, I kind of forgot about my initial goal And now that I have 3 albums, I thought it would be nice to take my favorite songs from each of them and make a full acoustic album with strings on it".

You understood the original idea! Have fun recreating his favorite songs differently. A way to give them a second life. An idea that had been around for years but didn't take that long to come to life, as he explains:

"The whole album has been recorded in one day. I did 9 songs in one day. Acoustic guitar and vocals at the same time, live versions in my studio, and then sent the tracks to Richard Curran, who arranged all the strings. And he did his part in a really good time too, in about 2 or 3 months, and everything was wrapped up. I'm really happy to finally show this project to the fans!"

And that day has finally arrived! With a wonderful introduction that gives goosebumps, this album opens gently and sets the masterful scene in which the songs will come to life, almost delicately placed in a jewel case. Some had already been released as singles, such as "Robin", "Kitchen Sink", "What's Left of You" and "Broken Princess", but the album has its share of good surprises in store, in particular with essential tracks such as "Aisle Four", "Why Can't You Dive In", or "Dino Song".

The whole is very coherent, the order of the songs is perfectly chosen and allows us to travel through the discography of the artist who has always had a preference for acoustic sounds. And this passion is felt in each of the tracks. You will hardly find artists more passionate than him, whether in vocal interpretation or in the composition of melodies. Her warm and very comfortable voice in any key goes wonderfully well with the strings.

Our member of the IMC Family hits very hard with this little gem of only 27 minutes (yes sir, for an album, it's a bit short), and leaves us with an impression of fullness and absolute relaxation, with the pleasure of to have rediscovered his best songs in the form of a magical epic.

Of course, we regret the absence of a few key singles like "She Could've Been Mine" and "If You Cared", but it is true that we have to make a choice, and these are always difficult decisions to make for the artists.

Reach out to Genesis Ritchot