Rosi Golan is an Israeli singer who made a pretty album in 2008, in a Zooey Deschanel/Ingrid Michaelson-style. Sweet ‘n sunny songs with a 60s influence, very easy on the ears. One song had a few French lines. For this commercial for Stella Artois, she sang a French version of Twelve Days of Christmas. You can download it for free (no catch) HERE.
99 Presents (but a bitch ain’t one). Great pun title for a Christmas record, English quartet The Bobby McGee’s brought it to life. I’m the first to admit that their cover of Les Poppys ‘Non, non rien n’a changé’ (for that’s what it is) was a bit of a let down. I’d love to hear Jay-Z’s 99 Problems reworked. Maybe next year. Devon Press recorded a cover of Tino Rossi’s Petit Papa Noël for the Christmasagogo-blog. He remixed it, and I decided to put her very charming version of France’s best known seasonal track up on FS.
Bobby McGee’s – 99 Presents (but a bitch ain’t one)
Devon Press – Petit Papa Noël
Vanessa Paradis turns 38 today. Happy birthday!
Made a compilation with my favourite black (meaning jazzy, soulful, bluesy, funky etc) Christmas songs for the EHPO-blog. Go HERE to download. Nothing in French, but James, Otis, Marvin, Stevie, Donny and the like. If you want more (odd) Christmas songs, you should also check Christmas A Gogo (here), or festive friends like Stubby, BRCM and SWOT.
Happy holidays!
Everyone dreams about writing a classic Christmas song, very few achieve this goal. Multi-instrumentalist, theremin-enthusiast and singer Fay Lovsky wrote her claim to fame in 1981. Since then, Christmas was a Friend of Mine is on the radio every season. It has the bells, the nostalgic atmosphere and the lyrics about friendship that all good Christmas songs have. For the compilation A Catchy Christmas, she recorded an updated French version. Which is nice. You can buy and/or listen to A Catchy Christmas HERE.
Fay Lovsky – Noël quand on est petit
If you go HERE, you can see a radioshow (yes, see a radioshow, in Dutch) with me talking about Gainsbourg, plus guests singer Rick de Leeuw, pianist Jan Robijns and actress Sylvia Kristel sharing stories about Serge. She told that she went to partouses with Serge, Ian McShane and Jane Birkin. And that she immediatly had a bond with Gainsbourg, ‘alcoholics recognise each other straight away’. Near the end of the show, Sylvia and Rick sing their Dutch translation of Serge & Catherine’s Dieu fumeur des Havanes.
Xmas Tonite is a Band Aid-like team-up of mostly French artists, singing a Northern Soul-style Christmas song. We hear Alizée along with Loane, Hugh Coltman and members of Tahiti 80, Jamaica and a whole bunch of other artists.
Legendary ye-ye singer Sylvie Vartan returns with a very strong album, produced by Keren Ann & Doriand, who also wrote a couple of songs. Others who contributed are Benjamin Biolay (La Vanité, great song), David Hallyday (her son), La Grande Sophie and Etienne Daho. The production is very sixties, with plush keys, loads of strings and guitars drowning in echo. Duet-partners are Doriand, Julien Doré and Arthur H. Vartan isn’t the world’s best singer anymore – then again, she never was. This album is way better than the rehashes on Nouvele Vague. See the duet with Doré here. Read an English interview with Sylvie here.
Sylvie Vartan & Doriand – Je me détacherai
Indispensable musique-pusher FransS, reader/contributor Anna Maria and FS-fan David send in yearlists as well. Three songs at the bottom of this post. Here goes:
FransS:
What a strange year it was. No one really stood out, but a lot of very good albums. as can be seen in the other lists. It was hard to make a top 5. a top 10 would be much easier. So my excuses To Babet, Brune, Buridane, Camelia, Chloe, Emmanuelle, Laurence, Marianne and many others.
1. Élodie Frégé – La fille d’après-midi. OK, but if you insist that I choose a female album of the year, there is only one possible winner: Elodie. Great album and great songs that take you by the hand and that lead you to where Elodie wants us to go. [the bedroom, I’d hope – Gbourg]
2. Zaz – Zaz. It is poppy, but giving the airplay she had here in Holland we finally had a contemporary French artist on the radio and Je veux more or less became the soundtrack of summer.
3. Cécile Hercule – La tête à l’envers. The real FF fans still remember her from her EP from 2008. We all knew she was an exceptional talent in the FF tradition. And as we all hoped and expected: she didn’t disappoint us..
4. Marie Warnant – Ritournelle. For me one of the surprises. Because I didn’t want her to be missed in the yearlist, she’s included here.
5. Claudine Muno & The Luna Boots – Noctambul. Luxembourg’s best kept secret.. I don’t know why exactly but I played her album a lot this year…It suits a lot of occasions. It just makes you feel good.
—
Anna Maria
Sorry, only four Filles-albums:
1. Emmanuelle Seigner – Dingue. Lovely, and relaxed songs with delightful vocals. Bonus points for the Iggy Pop duet.
2. Zaz – Zaz. Cool and worldly sophistication and class. She has a gorgeous voice too.
3. Peau – Premiere mue. Fragile and sweet, yet strong enough to make an impact.
4. Marie-Amélie – Dans un vertige, Sister of Emmanuelle and clearly her own person too. Lovely album.
—
David:
1. Babet – Piano Monstre. I am very grateful this blog put me onto Babet, definitely my favorite album of the year. La chambre des toujours, I think is the prettiest song I’ve heard, with a simple, heartfelt melody that Babet sings in such a gentle, simple way.
2. Chantal Archambault – La romance des couteaux. Her music is a mix of folk/country/rock – Chantal has a voice with a distinctive edge to it that helps drive her songs, similar in this respect to Olivia Ruiz and Emily Loizeau, with an energy that grows on you.
3. Nolwenn Leroy – Bretonne. In her past albums, I’ve found her voice to be pretty, but without much by way of expression. Here, her voice is perhaps a bit less pure, but I feel like her music is hitting something more real, with a bit of passion. Bro Gozh Va Zadou in particular captures this difference.
4. In-grid – Passion. Lots of movement, with obviously a conscious effort to evoke a ’40’s “big band” feel. A Ma Façon or Papillon Sur Moi, for example, where filles fragiles meets Desi Arnaz with a bit of rock thrown in.
5. Lili-ster – Castafiore. This has a bunch of good tunes, in particular Electric boy and Tombe sur moi. The album has a nice flow to it – I find I can put the album on and listen to it straight through.
Chantal Archambault – La chasse
Marie Warnant – Ritournelle
Peau – Sensuelle