Bashung's favourite songwriter Boris Bergmann also contributes three tracks including the excellent "Longue Durée": “Fil’ moi tes hauts, fil’ moi tes bas / Fil’ moi tes maux, j’prends tout sur moi / Côté fac’, côté pile, longue durée avec toi en prim’ ” (Give me your ups, give me your downs / Give me your troubles, I'll take them all on board / Heads or tails, I'm with you all the way"). Bergmann and Thiéfaine deserve a great deal of credit for their work on "Patchwork Electrique" - but then so does the legendary French blues rocker who came up with the brilliant idea of inviting the pair to add their poetry to his musical patchwork.

Musically speaking, Personne's album is also solidly crafted, courtesy of guitarist Paulo - aka the king of "dobro" or "solid-guitar" - and other members of the bluesman's loyal backing band: Michel Billez (on tenor sax) and Olivier Lanneluc (on keyboards). Apart from this core trio, Personne has followed his musical instincts, inviting an impressive selection of guest stars onto his new album. Drums and bass come courtesy of Magnus Persson alternating with Dane Clarck (the former renowned as Eagle Eye Cherry's drummer, the latter famous for his work with John Mellencamp). Personne's electric patchwork also features contributions from Larry Mullins and Hal Cragin - two veteran rockers from the Iggy Pop circus. In other words, "Patchwork Electrique" packs exactly the right amount of US punch to make it one of the best albums of Personne's career.

Some critics will hail "Patchwork Electrique" as a sign of maturity, while others will talk of Personne having rediscovered his inspiration. Whatever your opinion, this album - which follows four years after Personne's last opus “Route 97” - is packed with thoughtful, reflective lyrics and musical experimentation. Personne admits that he recently went through a period of soul-searching following a series of aborted recording projects in the US and the UK and a period of intensive experimentation at home. Personne has already proved himself to be a great fan of home studio recording (c.f. his 1992 album "Comme à la Maison") and his recent experiments with a simple four-track appear to have put him back in touch with the essence of his sound - that's to say, two guitars, bass and drums.

Patchwork Electrique" does contain a strong element of surprise, however, namely the appearance of DJ/scratcher Sya Styles on the single “La Beauté du blues”. Styles's presence adds an upbeat tempo to Personne's new single and his antics on the turntables add a rhythmic edge to the acoustic guitars and "Mellencamp-style" dobro. Personne also integrates a number of more traditional influences on his new album, playing with drawling vocals, soaring guitars and a hint of organ which owes a lot to the Doors classic “L.A. Woman”. In short, Personne proves he has lost none of his guitar wizardry, his inspiration or his personality. "Patchwork Electrique" proves that the José Bové of the rock world is still capable of cooking up one hell of a musical feast!