Folk/Review Steel & Velvet - Orphan's Lament

Steel & Velvet is a folk-rock group born, in 2021, from the friendship of Johann Le Roux (vocals) and Romuald Ballet-Baz (guitar), Breton musicians who both followed a solid classical training. Soon joined by another guitarist friend (also Breton), Jean-Alain Larreur, more rooted in blues-rock, they offer a collection of songs recorded in a spirit similar to that of Johnny Cash’s "American Recordings."

With “Orphan’s Lament,” the opening track of their “People Just Float” EP, Steel & Velvet reimagine Robbie Basho’s 1978 composition with both reverence and originality. The duo — Romuald Ballet-Baz on guitar and Johann Le Roux on vocals — breathe new life into a piece already steeped in emotional and spiritual weight, transforming it into something timeless and profoundly human.

Where Basho’s original was anchored by his piano, Ballet-Baz’s adaptation for guitar captures that same meditative depth through delicate fingerpicking. The decision to open with a pentatonic scale immediately roots the song in something ancient, almost ceremonial — a musical language that transcends time and geography. Le Roux’s voice, rich and resonant in a lower key, grounds the track with an earthy, almost sacred gravity. His phrasing conveys quiet grief and quiet hope all at once, embodying the spirit of Joshua, the main character introduced in the EP.

Dedicated to orphans, “Orphan’s Lament” holds a universal resonance: a cry for belonging, a recognition of loss, and an offering of compassion. The interplay between voice and guitar feels deeply intuitive, as if both musicians are responding to an invisible thread of emotion running through the song.

Steel & Velvet’s interpretation stands as both homage and renewal — a bridge between eras and souls. In “Orphan’s Lament,” they capture the rare ability to make sadness luminous, proving that even in mourning, beauty and humanity endure.