Other times, it sounds like a Bruce Springsteen tribute. All of it is well-played and maintains a high production standard even for pop music. They're all in French, and speak about sailing on whalers and clippers. If you speak French, Tonnerre's salty slang will prove a challenge. Tonnerre, one of the best-known songwriters working on maritime themes, is frequently covered by other artists who play sea music.
Instrumentation is mostly a guitar, a double bass and a big piano accordion.
These are neither the best singers nor the best musicians in Brittany, but they do have a certain spirited flair that makes the disc worth hearing for both its traditional and its nostalgic sides. Martine and Serge Rives are artists who are as well known for their dramatic staging as for their music. Serge is a native of the isle of Groix, from a long line of fishermen, and still a sailor himself. When he met Martine, she was already a successful comedienne, author and director. It was their joint passion for music and her show biz acumen that gave them the dramatic flair that separates them from other groups.