Mink DeVille
Coup De Grâce

Here is Willy, sitting on a chair, very thin, a perfect chicano with gold-covered teeth, a violet lamé shirt buttoned up to hide the blue cat tattoo and the name Tootsie, thin black tie, black jacket, roker 50s hairstyle, thin suitor's mustache, gaze... Oh, what a gaze! Fixed on a lucky woman, of whom only the left arm is visible, covered by a very intriguing lace glove... What happens next? Is she removing Willy's "Eyes wide shut" mask? Will Willy give up the hand of the girl he loves? Will she give him a "one good reason"?

It's all in the lyrics (and the splendid cover) of the opening track of Coupe de Grace "Give Me One Good Reason", an engaging romantic rock'n roll imbued with soul with piano, initial sax solo, and the band that is perfectly aware of playing with soul, while Willy, pleading with his splendid voice ooh baby give me a "good reason"... Why does Willy want to accept this reason, he tells us with the words of Eddie Hinton, the 70s soul man in "Help Me To Make It (Power of a Woman's Love)", a classic soul ballad in which it is recognized that the power of a woman's love can change a man and he wants this... But is there a small chance of making love, maybe tomorrow? "Maybe Tomorrow" poses this question, "Teardrops Must Fall", another splendid ballad with sax and prominent choirs foresees a rain of tears, then... So in Love Are We, Love Me Like You Did Before, up to End of the Line...

In 1981 Willy, after the blue cat, changes record label and band and releases this Coup De Grace, a record, just to change, of Love with a capital L, of romantic rock, soul, passion, and rock'n roll.

With Coupe De Grace, Willy releases his masterpiece, a timeless classic that could have been recorded in the 60s or yesterday, an album that is and will be on my list to bring to the desert island.

Unfortunately, as often happens in the USA, it sells very little, while in Europe it is a legend. Ten years ago, pancreatic cancer took him away, but we visit and will continue to visit him through his records, simply because he stirs our souls and knows how to speak to our hearts.

And I never mentioned throughout the review that Zelig by Bisio used one of his tracks as a theme... Oops!