Manu Lanvin – Man on a Mission Review
On October 10th, 2025, Manu Lanvin released his eighth studio album, Man on a Mission. Lanvin is a major figure in the blues rock scene in France and broader Europe, and has collaborated with some legendary blues rockers like Taj Mahal. Man on a Mission is an interesting album with both highs and lows that incorporates influences from multiple genres, especially pop, R&B, and soul.
Lanvin is joined by an impressive team of musicians: Michael Desir, Raphael Chassin, Karim Bouazza, and the Psot Boys on percussion; Bako Mikalian on harmonica; Quentin B on vinyl; Laurent Vernerey on bass, Nicolas Bonniere on fuzz guitar (also producing); Alex Bauer on backing guitar and drum machine; Bennett Holland on keys; Zhane Lanvin, Chantal, Jenny Bonneau, BJ Scott, Steve Kashala on backing vocals; and The Haggis Horns (Malcolm Strachan and Athol Ransome) on horns.
Man on a Mission is an LP with 13 tracks, and most of the standout songs appear in the latter third of the record. The album opens strongly with “Just Need Me,” a nice honky tonk rocker that showcases the awesome vocal tones Lanvin can belt out. The next standout tune on the album is number five, “I Got the Blues,” a track with a lot of feedback, audience effects, and vinyl scratch sounds borrowed from hip hop that make for a really fun rocking tune. Tracks six and seven, “Savigny-Sur-Ogre” and “What’s the Matter With U?,” are also interesting, with a ’90s alt pop rock and an almost disco feel with big brass tones, respectively.
The real treasure of the album lies in tracks eight and nine. “Saving Angel” especially showcases the heights that Lanvin’s raspy voice can achieve, using an instantly-recognizable classic 1970s blues rock melody to craft a showcase romantic rocker. “I Don’t Wanna Say Goodbye” is also tremendous; it has big James Brown vibes with a bold soul intro and lots of horn and choir bringing up the backing music that gives the song an epic feel.
Man on a Mission closes out pretty strong as well with the title track and “Une Nuit,” which is a French-language track that has a big New Orleans jazz influence. “Man on a Mission” is an interesting song; there’s a notable fuzz effect on the guitar tone, a nice foreboding atmosphere, and it turns into a big marching rock chorus with country-western vibes.
The key takeaway from the album is: when Lanvin is on, boy oh boy, is he on. Half of the tracks on Man on a Mission are very solid, heartfelt blues rock anthems that are at home in any blues rocker’s catalog. The only drawback is that these real winning songs are punctuated by some tunes that can feel, at times a little generic or less heartfelt than the big shining tracks on the album.
In total, Lanvin has crafted a very respectable entry into his discography with some real memorable tunes. Even if not every track on the album is equal in quality, there is definitely enough high quality blues rock energy here to make Man on a Mission well worth a listen, and to make listeners ready to hear more from Lanvin in the future.
The Review: 7/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– I Don’t Wanna Say Goodbye
– I Got the Blues
– Une Nuit
– Saving Angel
The Big Hit
– Saving Angel