06 January 2010
By Lyov
In R&B, Soul
D’Ici et d’Ailleurs
2008 re-issue now comes with three enhanced videos. Debut album from this French vocalist of Algerian descent. Soha’s sound incorporates reggae, Latin, Algerian, and Jazz – she truly is a girl of her time, knowing no boundaries other than the limit of her imagination. The result is a fantastic album that feels so much more than just the sum of these parts. There is no sense of trying items from a shopping list on for size – instead she has incorporated these influences into her soul and her music is a natural expression of this. Like all gifted musicians, Soha has assimilated a diverse range of influences but comes out the other side sounding wholly original. This diverse, constantly surprising album, will undoubtedly be one of the year’s best...
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african soul, D'Ici et d'Ailleurs, dance, french, pop nouveau, Soha, Soul
02 January 2010
By Lyov
In Pop
La boоte de Pandore
French singer Julie Zenatti was born in Paris in 1981. Eager to become a singer since her early teenage years, she took every step to finally be spotted by Luc Plamondon, who offered her a role in his massively successful musical Notre Dame de Paris. Between 2000 and 2007, keeping a somehow low profile (compared to other more exposed singers, and in spite of her five years-long relationship with singer Patrick Fiori), and helped by numerous hit singles (Si je m’en sors, Le couloir de la vie, Couvre-moi, Je voudrais que tu me consoles, Douce), she reached half a million record sales, making her a valuable artists for major record labels....
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chanson francaise, french, french female, french pop, Julie Zenatti, La boоte de Pandore, Pop
25 December 2009
By Lyov
In Jazz
Paroli
A French singer/songwriter, Enzo Enzo, was born Korin Ternovtzeff in 1960. Her debut as a pop performer began in 1980 with the group Lili Drop. In 1982, after the demise of Lili Drop the year before, Enzo Enzo — known by the name Korin Noviz at this point in time — released her first solo single, “Je Veux Jouer a Tout.” Soon after, two years to be exact, Korin released single number two, but more importantly, began performing and recording as Enzo Enzo. A series of singles, some well received, others not, followed over the next decade, and eventually Enzo Enzo became somewhat of a household name. Her first album, a self-titled affair, hit shelves in 1990, and was followed by another six full-lengths by the time of 2007’s Chansons d’une Maman. In addition to her respectable solo career, Enzo Enzo recorded a number of duets with other leading lights in French pop, including Jacques Haurogne, and landed a nomination in 1998 at the Victoires de la Musique in the Best Female Artist category....
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chanson, chanson francaise, Enzo Enzo, female vocalists, french, Jazz, Paroli
24 December 2009
By Lyov
In Jazz
Aznavour 2000
The venerable Charles Aznavour graced his adoring public with a stellar album of material for the new millennium, titled Aznavour 2000. The album tends to sway toward upbeat, jazzy, swingin’ numbers, such as the opener, “Le Jazz Est Revenu,” “Elle a le Swing au Corps,” “La Formule Un,” and “Nos Avocats.” His voice, always warm and compassionate, is like an old friend, giving this album a feeling of intimacy, although his public spans the globe and numbers in the millions. The shining moments, however, are the ballads, which drip with his eternally stylish and sophisticated melancholy, such as the lovely and heartbreaking “De la Scene a la Seine,” a tribute to the late, tragic Italian-Egyptian star Dalida. The downcast “Qu’Avons-Nous Fait de Nos Vingt Ans” echoes of his ancestral Armenia and “Je Danse Avec l’Amour” is a classic-sounding French chanson. “Quand Tu M’Aimes” and the samba-styled “Je Ne Savais Pas” are from his musical Lautrec (based on the life of Tolouse-Lautrec) and offer more variety to this winning and marvelously orchestrated album. A sheer pleasure through and through for fans of the amazing and enduring Charles Aznavour...
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Aznavour 2000, chanson, chanson francaise, Charles Aznavour, francais, french, Jazz
27 November 2009
By Lyov
In Jazz
Moonlightin
Take 7 musicians and sound engineers mates. Lock them up 3 weeks in a barn near Troyes with material straight out of Happy Days. Shake hard after adding a little alcohol … You get Moonlightin ‘.
First album since the band is on the road, it includes both pieces tested on stage, unreleased and winks just for this disc.
A turning point is marked with this opus from long sleepless nights: it’s not “all alone and cons” that will come from Western, but in Patate Records label in Paris in perfect harmony with the spirit of the group...
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french, Jazz, Moonlightin, rocksteady, ska, traditional ska, Western Special
25 October 2009
By Lyov
In Pop
Volume 10
For his new album Volume 10, “Yeux Revolver” (N°4 in 1985) singer has been helped by the chic Bertrand Burgalat (Christophe Willem) & also Lulu Gainsbourg, Serge’s son, who composed “Quand Je Suis Seul”, his friend Fabrice Aboulker (”Les 1001 Vies D’Ali Baba”) & Christophe Casanave (Najoua Belyzel)… The album includes 2 duets, Marc Lavoine loves them : the first with Valérie Lemercier, “La Grande Amour” & the second with his 11-year-old daughter Yasmine, “Lentement”. Recorded in Paris & Los Angeles, this album includes the rhythm section by Elvis Costello’s Imposters, bassist Davey Faragher & drummer Pete Thomas....
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chanson francaise, francophone, french, french pop, Marc Lavoine, Pop, Volume 10
16 October 2009
By Lyov
In Jazz
Attraction
Paris Combo has the schtick, and it’s served them well. Attraction carries on with what’s not really a formula, but an attitude — with a few subtle refinements, but the same elements that have brought them relative success. The title cut, happily bouncy, is a sophisticated summer afternoon by the Seine, while “Dans les Bras d’un Loup” is as seductive as midnight champagne in a Left Bank cabaret (and using the cello as a solo instrument is inspired, with its nighttime texture). As always, singer Belle du Berry offers a purr that’s halfway between little girl and vampish Eartha Kitt and a series of songs that show she’s a writer of genuine talent, with a sense of the surreal — as on the blues-tinged “Pourquoi les Vaches,” which translates to “Why the Cows.” There’s a lilting melodicism to the band’s work, with David Lewis playing a starring role, both on piano and trumpet — his minimal trumpet solo on “Dans les Bras d’un Loup” is a joy (as is Potzi’s guitar work, offering an echo of Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club of France). ...
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chanson, chanson francaise, female vocalists, french, Jazz, world
Billie Holiday
Tigran Hamasyan
Frank Sinatra
Tom Jones
Michael Jackson
