Review/Open Your Box 22: Carla Bruni & Other French Chanteuses

I frequently get swept up in the music of a foreign country. This year, it's often been Japan, given my discovery of Pizzicato Five, but lately my fixation has moved west, back to France thanks to artists like Yelle and Carla Bruni. The latter started her career as a French and Italian model, crossing over into the music world before the turn of the century. Her debut Quelqu'un m'a dit was a huge Francophone hit, though its guitar-and-poetry-based follow-up No Promises didn't do as well. Her new album Comme si de rien n'était ("As If Nothing Had Happened") gets her back on track, this time from a very different perspective. In the interim between records, she started up a romance with French president Nicolas Sarkozy, becoming the French First Lady in a matter of months. Her unique place in life gives the songs an altogether different tone (though I can't exactly interpret the French lyrics to back that up very well). Its an album full of delicate melodies and uplifting instrumentation. "Ma jeunesse" kicks things off in a bouncy, yearning style, with "La possibilité d'une île" taking it down a notch to become a lilting midtempo ballad. The sweeping orchestra-laden "L'amoureuse" and the choppy, bright "Ta tienne" are among the album's top tracks. A cover of old standard "You Belong To Me" stands out as the only English track, a heartbroken, minimal ballad with more raw emotion than you'd see from most First Ladies. The album may run a bit long, with some tracks blending into others towards the end sections, but its Italian closer "Il vecchio e il bambino" is a nice way to end the disc on a haunting note. Overall, Comme si de rien n'était is worth checking out for fans of French chanteuses (like those featured in the post).

From Comme si de rien n'était:
Carla Bruni, "Ma jeunesse" [YSI]
Carla Bruni, "L'amoureuse" [YSI]
Carla Bruni, "You Belong To Me" [YSI]

If you're not sure you're into the style, check out her sample tracks and some from her fellow French ladies of chanson. Mylène Farmer, the biggest-selling female singer in France, has taken a dramatic turn with her new material, like the widely-criticized, clubby new single "Dégénération." Further down, things get more traditional with Coralie Clement and film star Brigitte Bardot. Like Bardot, the next two ladies were always linked to icon Serge Gainsbourg. His daughter Charlotte is most recent, with her album 5:55 becoming one of my favorites of last year. Jane Birkin was a later lover of Gainsbourg's, following in Bardot's footsteps to record some great music with the legend. To wrap up, another older figure in French pop Françoise Hardy and the eccentric Camille (often a featured singer of trendy cover band Nouvelle Vague).

Chanteuse Selections:

Mylène Farmer, "Dégénération" [YSI] (from Point De Suture)
Coralie Clement, "Samba De Mon Cœur Qui Bat" [YSI] (from the Putumayo World Music compilation Paris)
Brigitte Bardot, "Un Jour Comme un Autre" [YSI] (from the Putumayo World Music compilation French Café)Charlotte Gainsbourg, "Tel Que Tu Es" [YSI] (from 5:55)
Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, "La Décadanse" [YSI] (from the compilation Initials SG)Françoise Hardy, "Je N'Attends Plus Personne" [YSI] (from The Vogue Years)
Camille, "Ta Douleur" [YSI] (from Le Fil)

***Note: Links removed***

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