ARTPARIS The artparis modern and contemporary art fair opens tomorrow, March 19 and runs through March 23, with 115 French and foreign galleries under the gorgeous glass dome of the Grand Palais. Some of the best work this year is … Read More
SUNDAY SONGS Alexandre (Castagnetti) and Clément (Marchand), two scruffy, good-natured thirty-something French musicians, have won the hearts of the French with their Chansons du Dimanche, bouncy, humorous songs composed and recorded on Saturday – often while the pair sits cross-legged … Read More
Music and Politics Make Strange Bedfellows Some of the criticism of Bruni’s new album is politically inspired. Now that supermodel-turned-singer Carla Bruni is France’s First Lady, it is perhaps inevitable that much of the vitriolic criticism of her new album, … Read More
The Little Things That Count Delerm’s voice is less croaky on his new album. Vincent Delerm, who brought something new to French pop music with his frog-in-the-throat voice, quirky phrasing and lighthearted, often nostalgic lyrics (as in the song “Les … Read More
The Joys of Jaoui Jaoui’s first album is a fine showcase for her talent as a singer. Actress, screenwriter and filmmaker Agnès Jaoui has taken on a new role, that of singer. Her first album, Canta (Tôt ou Tard; to … Read More
Sweet Sounds of the Suburban Melting Pot Something new for la chanson française. The young singer/songwriter Anis Kachohi may have been born and bred in a Paris suburb, but he is no car-burning delinquent, as the media would have us … Read More
A long road from the Bahamas to the French airwaves for Diana Hamilton. A month or so ago, listeners to the radio station FIP (FM 105.1) – famed for its mix of musical styles, soft-voiced female announcers and blessed lack … Read More
Madmen and Pets Thomas Fersen as seen by Jean Baptiste Mondino. Thomas Fersen, considered a representative of the “nouvelle chanson française” along with Vincent Delerm, Bénabar and Cali, falls into the large category of French singer/songwriters who are more interesting … Read More
Moody Murat Jean-Louis Murat: too literary for commercial success? Photo: Jean-Louis Murat © EMI France/Labels Jean-Louis Murat, a poet, singer, songwriter and musician with a dark side, has a hard core of fans in France, but has never been able … Read More
Minimalist Mathieu Mathieu Boogaerts, a song stylist with minimalist charm. Singer/songwriter/musician Mathieu Boogaerts’ new album, Michel (Tôt ou Tard), is deceptively simple and quietly seductive. His quirky singing style is sometimes reminiscent of that of Vincent Delerm, but Boogaerts is … Read More
