Ha Ha Heartbreak is already the third solo album by Balthazar frontman Maarten Devoldere. As the title betrays, the album was written after a broken relationship. Whereas his ex
Sylvie Kreusch was still physically present on previous records, this time it is the aftermath of the relationship breakup with her that fueled Devoldere's music. He wrote the album in just three weeks in a hotel room in
… Palermo. With a melancholy carpet pad, warm piano melodies and beautiful string arrangements, the Fleming builds his songs without ever becoming melancholy. A slightly optimistic tone can even be detected in his songs. The soul element he uses on this album more than ever before gives his songs an intoxicating effect. You can also hear - cautiously or not - groovy bits back, generating a slight playfulness. Ha Ha Heartbreak lingers from beginning to end and ranks among the best of Devolderes solo work to date. (YvQ)more
