Track by Track: Ben L'Oncle Soul's 'Is IT YOU?' Album

In the middle of a spring European tour and enjoying the afterglow of his album 'IS It YOU' Ben L'Oncle takes the time to do a track by track close reading of the project. Going through each song and gifting us insight into his mind.

The project as a whole is intricately composed, a joint venture between Ben himself and his live tour band the Shock team. Alive, R&B, soul, jazz breathe on the record pulsing to a sensuous rhythm as Ben gravitates in the spirituals to muse on life.

IS IT YOU? ALBUM

"This album is a conversation about Life. Covid-19 made us have a different point of view, we had to live differently, and I started to see life all over again. We had to deal with our feelings. Anger, hope, faith... I tried to find a way with music."

A Rose…

"I’ve always been fascinated by roses, every time I look at one, I fall in love again. The song is inspired by a poem by Robert Frost. When my friend Alex read me this poem, the instruments started to dance, and I took it to a Stevie Wonder kind of Bossa Nova for these few verses to resonate again."

Is It You?

"I was just wondering who gave us that gift of life. I'm still amazed by the beauty of nature, its complexity really fascinates me so I just want to be grateful. I just want to be grateful for the gift of life. When I travel, amazed by the beauty of nature, when my daughter comes back from school and draws me something, when I eat a nice fruit… I thank you."

Levitate

"To love and be loved. To feel safe, connected to the present moment, relaxed, in the living… that is so magical. I had to write a song about it! This feeling of being loved at first sight. The joy and the help of being supported by someone. Being able to share everything to the depths of your soul; it's lifesaving."

Sky Has Open Doors

"I'm a big dreamer, my mind wanders around the moon. This song is about those moments when I'm gone. Discuss ideas to create, this is where I lay my burdens down. In order not to get lost in the maze of neurosis, I want now to stay active, to listen to my intuitions and realize my ideas before it suffocates me."

The Greatest

"A meeting between body and soul. I found myself again and it's joyful. I've always been careful of others, sometimes it's got to be you! Faith in my goodness, this song is a declaration of love to myself. The symbol of an extraordinary meeting between body and mind. I found this light in me and it's powerful."

Something New

"The world is a perpetual motion, people evolve and change, I realized that my perception of life had changed a lot lately and I felt the need to talk about it. When you have this revelation that we are here for something greater, the outer world may seem cruel to you, you gotta hold on really tight but at the end of the day, tell a friend how you feel and the light will return."

Mistakes

This song is about understanding and forgiveness. All the lessons that help us to grow can be bitter and cruel, but as soon as you forgive yourself and others, everything starts making sense. Learning to forgive starts with forgiving yourself. This song is an encouragement to anyone on the path to mindfulness. I know that you can get lonely on this long road called life, you'll make some mistakes but you will grow.

Dear Light

"This song is dedicated to the devotion that I have for my inner self. I would never betray my heart now that I know how to listen to it. It's almost a Gospel in fact. I tried to write a gospel with my beliefs, something related to my spirituality almost like a prayer."

Terrified

"Searching for who we really are is a path that can be scary. I was afraid to find something wrong as if there was a bad way to be. We don't talk enough about our fears, sometimes we make a mountain for nothing at all. We just need to communicate, we must share our experiences of existence."

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