Albums: Yves Paquet - A Decent Man

Brazil born Yves Paquet has taken a scenic route to arrive at his folk sound. Having dabbled with indie, he became a featured artist on an array of pop and dance tracks. After achieving a #1 single in the Belgian Dance tracks, his vocal strengths caught the attention of Universal Music, who signed him. While taking a dance route may have seemed a logical step, he moved instead to the folk world.

Having debuted as a soloist back in 2021 with the impressive Every Now and Then, he returns with his sophomore album, A Decent Man. Named after the album's closing moment and Paquet's recent single, A Decent Man shows that he is an artist who hasn't lost sight on the need for pop appeal for mainstream exposure. A sensational radio moment, it should see him propelled further into the mainstream awareness.

And the rest of the album? Yves Paquet may only want to be a decent man, but the album proves he is much more than just a decent artist. While his vocal has echoes of Kubb's Harry Collier, the album's sound is somewhere between Asgeir and Seth Lakeman, which is not a bad place to be.

Paquet oozes real soul throughout the album's 10 songs, but really shines on the truly stunning Heart Giants and showcases chart potential on the Coldplay-channelling The Conqueror.

Although pitched as a folk collection, A Decent Man is an eclectic collection that shines brightly due to the faultless vocalist at the core.