Friday’s French music break…on a Saturday - Victoires de la musique 2017 (with Calypso Rose)

Phew. That was a close one. It’s surely a sorry state of affairs for French popular music when a potential winner of its most prestigious annual music awards is an also-ran from the previous year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Thankfully though sense prevailed and on Friday, Amir (a product of the TV talent show “The Voice” in which he finished third) failed to secure best original song at Les Victoires de la Musique, the French equivalent of the Grammys.

Instead it was the 25- year-old Vianney, winner of Best Male Artist in 2016, who scooped the prize with “Je m’en vais”.

Vianney

http://www.france-today.com/2015/02/fridays-french-music-break-vianney-pas.html

Je m’en vais

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLYyCFuPCX8

Relief all round then as it proves there is some hope for the future of French popular music beyond talent show also rans who fail at Eurovision (hardly the arbiter of good musical taste), a belief further reinforced by the cleverly marketed (and undoubtedly talented) 25-year-old Jain picking up Best Female Artist.

Jain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Q_lhgGANc

Perhaps that was something of an orchestrated shoe-in as oddly enough someone had forgotten to include Canada’s global screamer Céline Dion in any category in spite of the commercial and critical success of her latest album “Encore un soir”. Love her or loathe her, the decision not to include her among the shortlist was…er…strange.

While Vianney and Jain (oh all right then AND Amir) were securing the future of French popular music for years to come (along with the excellent 20-year-old DJ Kungs - Valentin Brunel - Best electronic and dance album) some of the country’s Golden Oldies were marking their territory.

Unsurprisingly Renaud - who last year made a long-awaited comeback with the album (his first since 2009) “Toujours debout” - added to his career collection of gongs with Best Male Artist, although he missed out in the Best Album category to Benjamin Biolay’s “Palermo Hollywood” and after a decade apart, Louise Attaque marked their get together with Best rock album.

Calypso Rose (screenshot “Calypso Queen” official version)

As far as the most magical moment of the night…well apart from Imany calling for justice and equal treatment of different races during her gospel-inspired (and inspiring) performance of the superb “Silver lining (all clap your hands)" it had to be Trinidad and Tobago’s Calypso Rose (Linda McArtha Monica Sandy-Lewis) singing “Calypso Queen”.

An encore - the “stuffed suits” of the audience doing their thing and a declaration from the 76-year-old that she was now the ^Queen of France” after winning the Best World Music award was quite simply the highlight of the evening.

So here you are… this week’s Friday’s French music break - Calypso Rose with “Calypso Queen”.

Friday's French music break - Cats on Trees and Calogero, "Jimmy"

This week's Friday's French music break is from two artists previously featured.

The first is Calogero, is a stalwort of the French music scene who needs little or no introduction to readers in France as he has been around, writing and recording, for the past couple of decades.

Calogero (screenshot RTL performance)

The other is the Toulouse duo of Nina Goern and Yohan Hennequin who are better known as Cats on Trees and rose to prominence with their 2013 hit "Siren's call".

Nina Goern and Yohan Hennequin - Cats on Trees

 Together they've come up with a seamless match in the form of the single "Jimmy".

The 44-year-old Calogero's music is instantly recognisable and he has won several awards including three Victoires de la musique - the French equivalent of the Grammys - for best male artist (2004) and twice for Best original song (2005 with "Si seulement je pouvais lui manquer" and 2015 for "Un jour au mauvais endroit").

Throughout the years, Calogero has teamed up with, and/or (more often) written for,  a number of artists, among them Grand Corps Malade, François Hardy, Pascal Obispo and (inevitably perhaps, as just about every French composer has) Johnny Hallyday.

Given his track record as a successful writer, it's perhaps surprising, if not unusual, that Calogero agreed to accompany the duo on their own composition.

Especially as it failed to make its mark on the charts first time around when Goern and Hennequin released it in 2014.

But Calogero was definitely "up for it" as, according to Cats on Trees' official site, the trio became friends following several joint television and festival appearances.

Goern and Hennequin (who normally write and record in English)  reworked the song to include some French lyrics...et voilà, quoi.

The result - not only a delightfully melodic recording but fitting hit material too.

http://www.chartsinfrance.net/Cats-on-Trees/Jimmy-s36254.html

Enjoy et bon week-end.

Friday's French music break - Vianney, "Pas là"

Friday's French music break this week is proof that there are a number of talented young singer-songwriters ready to make their mark on the French music scene.

It's "Pas là" from the 23-year-old Vianney Bureau who goes simply by his first name as a performer.

Vianney (screenshot from "Pas là" official video)

"Pas là" is the second track to be released from his debut album "Idées blanches" and deals with that time-honored tradition of disappointed love.

Nothing startling new there...but given its wonderfully melancholic (and at the same time very catchy) melody combined with clever lyrics, it has been getting plenty of airplay.

Just listen to the opening lines of the song and you'll soon be aware that Vianney is no ordinary songwriter but one blessed with the talent to write poetically.

And, oh yes, his voice has a gentle elegance to it and a pitch quite different from many others of his generation. Plus he has an ability to perform live that just makes you want to hear more (check out this acoustic version during an appearance on France Ô)

Vianney hasn't gone unnoticed among music critics with Yannick Delneste writing enthusiastically to say the least) in the regional daily Sud Ouest after the release of the first single "Je te déteste" that it had "a sense of an unstoppable and unifying melody, swirling vocals and clever texts"

And in L'Express, Gilles Médioni described Vianney as being "exceptional and different" not just because of his musicality but also his background.

"Polite, cheerful and stylish, he attended a military lycée (at this own request), grew up in Panama in a family of four boys, went to business school in Paris before completing a diploma at the private fashion school Esmod."

Those were experiences which Vianney himself said had "opened his mind socially and artistically" as did presumably the part time jobs, singing in the Paris métro, a hitchiking trip to Israel  (crossing the Balkans and Turkey), cycling to Stockholm and, and and.

Yes, he sure has packed a lot (of unusual things) into a short space of time, and probably is as far removed as is possible from the TV talent show route that so many of his generation take to achieve instant (and often ephemeral) fame.

Put simply, Vianney, who has apparently been writing songs ever since he "discovered music" at the age of 12 is a name to remember and, more importantly, a talent to remember.

His album "Idées blanches"  - only released in October 2014 - has already been nominated for a Victoires de la musique award (the French equivalent of the Grammys) alongside Indila's "Mini World" and François and the Atlas Mountains "Piano ombre" in the category Album révélations.

The winner will be announced on February 13.

Vianney has several dates lined up throughout France from March onwards, including one at Le Trianon in Paris and smaller venues such as Rock School Barbey in Bordeaux, La Dynamo in Toulouse and the Cargo de Nuit in Arles.

But keep an eye on his Facebook page for news of further dates.

For the moment though, here's "Pas là".

Enjoy.

You will!

Friday's French music break - Brigitte, "À bouche que veux-tu"

Friday's French music break this week is sheer delight and a real treat.

It's the title track "À bouche que veux-tu" of the the new album released this week from the duo Brigitte.

Brigitte (screenshot from official video of "À bouche que veux-tu")

The group are the "indie folk musical duo" of Aurelie Saada and Sylvie Hoarau and, it quickly becomes clear that "indie" label is highly appropriate in the sense that their music is hard to categorise.

Their Myspace bio - yes some artists still seem to be using it - describes them as "A throwback to the flower power era, '60s revivalists...combining lounge-pop, retro folk, and French cabaret to produce an authentic hippie-chic sound."

And that, if anything, seems a pretty accurate description.

Their music (and their videos) is (are) highly stylised, melodic and yes, retro without a doubt.

But the duo are also very "modern"...if that makes any sense (and when did you last read a musical review that did?)...offering a distinctive sound that won't leave you indifferent (in a very positive way).

Take a listen for example to two of their best-known past singles, "Battez vous" and "Oh la la" and you'll quickly become hooked.

Brigitte already have one Victoire de la musique award under their belts for Group or Artist Stage Révélation of the Year in 2012 - and this album, and the accompanying tour should ensure they'll be in the running once again next year - perhaps for one of the major gongs..

You can catch the pair on tour throughout France, including two dates at Olympia in Paris in May 2015.

So without further ado, here's a taste of what you can expect...Brigitte with "À bouche que veux-tu".

And as a bonus, the official version followed by an acoustic one.

Enjoy.

You most definitely will!

Friday's French music break - Christine and the queens, "Saint Claude" and the album "Chaleur humaine"

All right, so the last "exception" a couple of weeks ago about not featuring an artist or group more than once as Friday's French music break, is about to be broken again.

And with good reason.

Because the choice this week is "Saint Claude" from the excellent debut album "Chaleur humaine" from Christine and the Queens.

Released in May, "Chaleur humaine" has not only received critical acclaim (and deservedly so) in France, but also internationally as witnessed by this review in The Guardian.

Christine and the queens/Héloïse Letissier (screenshot from "Le Grand Journal" on Canal +)

You might remember earlier this year that Christine and the Queens - actually a one-woman musical project from Héloïse Letissier "combining music, dance, art videos, drawings and photography" was featured as a Friday's French music break with "Nuit 17 à 52".

It was the song Letissier had performed at Les Victoires de la musique (the French equivalent of the Grammy awards), in the category Group or Artist Stage Révélation of the Year for which she was nominated - but didn't win.

The long-awaited debut album "Chaleur humaine" was released in May and it reflects  Letissier's  artistic eclecticism, leading music critics to describe ot as an album "without frontiers".

Sure it's pop, but in the widest sense of the word.

Her music is stylised, melodic and classy - head and shoulders about most of what you might expect to hear on French radio.

And as many journalists have pointed out, it's hard, if not impossible to categorise Letissier's music simply.

The studio versions are as polished and well crafted as you would expect and the videos are similarly outstanding with some natty and intriguing dance moves.

But live, Letissier adds another level, as you can see from a recent appearance on Canal + "Le Grand Journal" and of course that performance at Les Victoires de la musique.

Speaking of live,  Letissier/Christine and the queens is currently on a nationwide tour, including Olympia in Paris in March 2015, and several dates have already sold out.

If you get the chance to see her live, then give yourself a treat, and do.

Also, if there's just one French music album you should buy this year, then make sure it's  "Chaleur humaine".

Oh yes, and here's a prediction.

Not only will Letissier be nominated in several categories at next year's Les Victoires de la musique, she'll also perform (again) and win.

For the moment though here's "Saint Claude" the most recent track to be released as a single from the album ""Chaleur humaine".

But don't be satisfied with that. Discover the rest of the album too.

Bon week-end.

Friday's French music break - Ibrahim Maalouf, "True sorry"

You don't need to be able to speak a word of French to be able to understand this week's Friday's French music break.

No, it's not another one of those groups with a somewhat ludicrous name singing in English.

In fact there are no lyrics at all - because "True sorry" is just a wonderful instrumental brought to you by Ibrahim Maalouf.

Ibrahim Maalouf (screenshot from Les Victoires de la musique)

It's a track taken from his most recent album, "Illusions" which earned Maalouf the "World music album of the year" award at the Victoires de la musique (the French equivalent of the Grammys) in February.

Born in Beirut into a family of musicians (his father Nassim is a trumpeter and his mother Nada, a pianist) Maalouf moved to Paris during the Lebanese civil war.

The 33-year-old is described  as "a pioneering figure in the world of contemporary jazz, blending the genre with pop, soul, electro, hip-hop, French songs and his own Lebanese roots" and he has the international awards to prove it.

He has worked with international artists such as Sting, Amadou et Mariam and Vanessa Paradis, composed music for the cinema, collaborated with symphony and chamber orchestras, created his own label to produce his albums and other projects and artists, and, and, and.

In fact you can read Maalouf on his official site, here.

Maalouf is currently taking his "Illusions" tour around France with concerts also scheduled in Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Morocco.

http://www.ibrahimmaalouf.com/concerts/

Olympia in Paris already full  but extra dates have been added in the capital when he plays at La Cigalle in October.

He'll also be appearing at a number of jazz festivals,

For those of you who might adhere to Joey "The Lips" Fagan's description, in the 1991 film adaptation of Roddy Doyle's "The Commitments" that "jazz is musical masturbation (he actually used a more vulgar term in the film)" Maalouf might well make you think again.

While for jazz aficionados, Maalouf will most certainly be a welcome addition to your collection of he isn't already.

Anyway, enough words.

Pin back those lugholes and listen to what Maalouf does best.

"True sorry" is four minutes of pure magic.

And because you can never really get enough of a good thing, three different versions.

First up that performance from Les Victoires de la musique, followed by a (perhaps more refined) duo trumpet-guitar interpretation from a recent appearance on Anne-Sophie Lapix's "C à vous" on France 5  and finally the studio recording.

Friday's French music break - Christine and the queens, "Nuit 17 à 52"

Friday's French music break this week is something a little special.

It's "Nuit 17 à 52" from a real all-round talent, Héloïse Letissier, who has chosen another of those daft English names as her professional "alias" - Christine and the queens.

But that's all there is that's "daft" about  Letissier who is not just a singer-songwriter.

Christine and the queens (Héloïse Letissier) screenshot from "Nuit 17 à 52" official video

The 25-year-old has a Masters in theatre studies  (Nanterre) obtained while she was also studying in Lyon at the Ecole Normale Supérieure and taking acting classes at the city's Conservatoire.

She cites among her musical influences artists such as Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Andy Kaufman, Klaus Nomi, Michael Jackson and "Gainsbarre" - a mixed bunch much which inevitably manifests itself in her music which is "pop" without being inane (yes it's possible)

In other words eclectic and focused on the presentation.

There's also the visual side to her live performances, described as "ambitious" and those highly polished androgynous videos to accompany her songs.

Christine and the queens is Letissier's project to, in her own words, put a whole package together and not just about making music.

"I like music that's accompanied by videos, drawings, photographs," she said in a 2011 interview.

"I could not just write songs and put them on MySpace. Christine (whom Letissier sees almost as her alter ego and capable of doing everything she cannot do) is a bit narcissistic, and as soon as she puts her mind to something, she does it."

Yes. Maybe Letissier takes herself and her "act" too seriously - or perhaps not seriously enough.

Talent she has - and it has been recognised.

In 2011 she was a finalist at the Inrocks Lab, an annual showcase for new French music talent and a year later won the Best Discovered Act at the prestigious annual music festival Le Printemps de Bourges in 2012.

And at the recent Les Victoires de la musique, along with winners Woodkid, Letissier was one of the four acts nominated in the category "Group or artist stage révélation of the year". The other two acts were Albin De La Simone and 1995.


So far, as Christine and the queens,  Letissier has released three EPs including most recently "Nuit 17 à 52" which includes apart from the title track, "The loving cup", "Starshipper", "Wandering lovers" and her cover version of William Sheller's "Photos souvenirs"

Christine and the queens (Héloïse Letissier) screenshot Les Victoires de la musique

 An album - her first - is promised for release at the end of April.

Anyway, here's "Nuit 17 à 52", both the live performance during Les Victoires de la musique and the official video.

Take a listen to both - a good musical start to the weekend.

Have a good one!

Friday's French music break - Johnny Hallyday, "20 ans"

Friday's French music break this week is from a singer you may well know - after all he has been around long enough.

Yes, it's that national monument or treasure (or perhaps both) depending on your tastes, Johnny Hallyday.

And the latest single from the ageing rocker "20 ans".

Johnny Hallyday (screenshot from "20 ans" official video)

It has just won "Original song of the year" at Les Victoires de la musique (the French equivalent of the Grammys) which took place at Le Zénith in Paris on February 14.

Mind you, it wasn't exactly the most popular winner of the night with whistles of disapproval from some sections of the audience as the ceremony's host, Virginie Guilhaume, opened the envelope to announce "The winner is..."

Now those rooting for the other contenders in the category in which Johnny (well he can't be referred to by his surname now, can he?) won, clearly didn't realise just how much the dinosaur of the French music scene "deserved" it.

The song - written by Christophe Miossec (lyrics) and David Ford (music) and taken from Johnny's critically acclaimed and commercially successful (that'll help keep him accustomed to his international star lifestyle of a man world famous in France) most recent album "L'Attente" (the best in a long time") had all the hallmarks of a winner about it.

Little matter that Johnny was up against two of last year's best-selling artists, Stromae with two songs "Papaoutai" and "Formidable", and Maître Gims' "J'me tire".

Forget all those statistics and the fact that both artists dominated the charts in 2013 and in fact continue to do so.

Take a look at the stats - for what they're worth.


YouTube views of the offical clips:

"Papaoutai" - 116 million +
"Formidable" - 64 million +
"J'me tire" - 51 million +
"20" ans - official audio and video combined - around one million


Chart history (taking into account sales, downloads and radio play)

"Papaoutai" - four weeks at number one and still in the charts a mere 39 weeks after its release.
"Formidable" - six weeks at number one - and still in the Top 200 charts  after 36 weeks.
"J'me tire"  - 48 weeks (and counting) in the charts - four of which were at the top.
"20 ans" -  five whole weeks in the official Top 200 peaking at 38.


Those figures seemed to count for little on the night.

What really mattered was that the song was sung by Johnny.

And even though the 70-year-old, with a career stretching back decades,  wasn't present at the ceremony, he clearly had (and has) legions of fans who made sure he wasn't forgotten.

You see, the category "Original song of the year" was open to voting from Joe Public, which meant presumably that Johnny's fans mobilised en masse to give him a win when everyone expected Stromae (who put in a stunning medley performance of his two hits and picked up three other gongs including "Male artist of the year) to sweep the board.

So a "deserved" win for the old codger and, dear reader, this week's choice for Friday's French music break.

Enjoy!

Friday's French music break - Les Victoires de la musique 2014

Yes, this week's Friday's French music break is a bit different as it's dedicated to this year's Victoires de la musique, France's equivalent of the Grammy Awards

And here's a thing to kick off. The very (French) group which cleaned up at the recent edition of the Grammys in Los Angeles, won't just be absent, they haven't even been nominated.

The motorbike helmeted duo (no, not François Hollande and his bodyguard) of Thomas Bangalter of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. aka Daft Punk, apparently declined the offer preferring to take their chances Stateside, where they picked up five awards including album ("Random access memories") and record ("Get lucky") of the year.

Organisers sent out a second invitation to the duo to perform but, as yet, there has been no reply.

So without arguably France's most successful international act at the moment, who has been persuaded to appear and who's up for a possible gong?

Well, you can see all the details here, but the most notable inclusion is not a French artist at all, but...ta da...Belgian Paul van Haver, better known by his stage name Stromae.

Stromae (screenshot from interview with Marie Drucker on France 2 television, August 2013)

The 28-year-old has picked up six nominations in four different categories (huh?) including (deep breath) Male artist of the year, Album of the year (the excellent "Racine carrée") and twice for Original song of the year and Video of the year (both times for "Papaoutai" and "Formidable").



Should he not pick up at least a couple of awards, those voting (which, in some categories include the general public) will need their heads examined.

And especially when you take a look at who he's up against for Original song of the year: ageing rocker Johnny Hallyday for "20 ans" and Maître Gims with "J'me tire de".

Nominated against Stromae in both Male artist of the year and Album of the year (for "Les chansons de l'innocence retrouvée" is Étienne Daho, whose low, almost whispered voice (in other words, he's not much of a singer) has been boring some of us with variations of the same song since the early 1980s.

Zaz, Vanessa Paradis (yet again) and peculiarly enough the male-female duo of Lilly Wood and the Prick (Nili Hadida and guitarist Benjamin Cotto) (winners of the 2011 Best newcomer award) are the three acts nominated in the category Best female artist of the year. Perhaps nobody realised that Cotto is a man and Lily Wood and the Prick are actually a group.




Lilly Wood and the Prick (screenshot from  Where I Want To Be (California) official video)

And there are strange things over in the Album revelation of the year category which includes HollySiz (Cécile Cassel) with "My name is", La Femme and their album "Psycho Tropical Berlin" as well as (here comes another silly name) Cats on trees (duo Nina Goern and Yohan Hennequin) with their album of the same name...er "Cats on Trees".

Yes it's Goern and Hennequin's debut album, but they've been performing together since 2007. Some revelation!

Anyway, the awards will be broadcast live on France 2 and transmitted on France Inter and France Bleu radio on February 14, in what promises to be its usually overdrawn luv-in with Virginie Guilhaume at the helm,

Yes, the same woman who hosted the whole shebang (with Laurent Ruquier) in 2013 and who also presents "Qui sera le prochain grand pâtissier?"
Enjoy!

Friday's French music break Lillywood and the prick, "Middle of the night"

Friday's French music break this week comes from a group with the (um) glorious name of Lilly Wood and the Prick.

Great name for a band don't you think?

Er. Pass.

Lilly Wood and the Prick: screenshot from  "Where I Want To Be (California)" official video

"Middle of the night" is the first single to have been released from their latest album "The fight", a fine follow-up to their debut "Invincible friends"

Online information about Lilly Wood and the Prick is a bit thin on the ground.

That fount of all knowledge, both correct and incorrect, otherwise known as Wikipedia, doesn't have a great deal on them. In fact their English entry is - well sparse to say the very least - which means you have to go a-huntin elsewhere.

Their website is a little disappointing although is has links to their Myspace account and the inevitable Facebook page complete with upcoming dates.

So who are they?

Well, they're a duo: singer Nili Hadida and guitarist Benjamin Cotto.

The pair write all their own material.

Their sound is distinctive and categorised  - always a bit of a danger when trying to pigeon hole artists whose music defies labels - as folk Electronic / Folk / Pop.

One thing's for sure - they cannot be mistaken for any other French act - in fact you would have a hard time knowing they were French - more on that in a moment.

Hadida and Cotto were apparently introduced to each other back in 2006 by friends in a bar in Paris and began working together within 48 hours.

"We barely each other at the beginning," Hadida told Nagui, the presenter of France 2's music show Taratata.

"But through music we've had a chance to get closer and really understand how the other person ticks."

Hmmm.  Great story isn't it? And the two seem pretty sincere. There again, who cares whether it's entirely true as their music ain't half bad.

Their big break - in terms of wider recognition came at the 2011 Victoires de la Musique awards (the French equivalent of the Grammys) when the pair walked away with the prize of Best Newcomer (le groupe ou l'artiste révélation du public) ahead of  Ben l'Oncle Soul, Camélia Jordana and Zaz.

Now don't worry if your French isn't very good. The group sings exclusively in English - probably down to Hadida's international upbringing and influences (she was born in Israel, raised in Paris and has lived in London and California).

There's definitely a commercial appeal to their music and unlike some other "foreign groups" writing and singing in English, their lyrics actually make sense.

Hadida's voice is distinctive, and what's more the pair can perform live.

There's no playback or flashy gimmicks necessary as witnessed by this appearance on Le Figaro's music show "Le Live".



Their music is simple without any pretensions although Hadida admits that some of the songs, much like the group's name, are meant to provoke.

Ah yes.

About that name...

"Nili isn't necessarily Lilly and nor am I the Prick. In fact it could be the opposite," Cotto said with a degree of humour in an interview with By the Way blog.

"Seriously though the name is more about a group of words which (to us) sound good together and it's in keeping with how we want to progress: the magical aspect reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland mixed with something a little more down to earth."

Yes. Well.

Maybe they'll think about changing their name should they ever become successful outside of France.

One thing's for sure, whatever they're called, the pair produce some excellent music.

Here's the official clip of "Middle of the night".

Enjoy.

Friday's French music break - Laurent Voulzy, "C'était déjà toi"

Friday's French music break this week is Laurent Voulzy's "C'était déjà toi".

(screenshot from "C'était déjà toi" video)

You know when you first hear a song and you don't think that much of it, especially as it's by an artist you're not particularly keen on?

But then you hear it again and again, and you actually listen to it and gradually - hey you find it has worked its way into your head to such an extent that - horror upon horrors, you actually like it.

And what's more, it then encourages you to do some research and listen to more of the artist's music.

That's exactly what Laurent Voulzy's "C'était déjà toi " is - one of those songs that...well grows on you and opens the door to a body of work.

It's taken from Voulzy's most recent album "Lys & love" which is the first collection of new material he has released in a decade.

As Radio France Internationale says of Voulzy in a biography, he is hardly the most prolific of songwriters in French musical history, at least not in terms of recording albums.

And as if to prove a point, "Lys & love" is only the 63-year-old's seventh studio offering.

Choosing Voulzy's song as this week's Friday's French music break is more than appropriate timing because he has just won a Victoire de la Musique (the French equivalent of a Grammy) for Best Original Song with another track from the album, "Jeanne", co-written with his longtime friend and songwriting collaborator Alan Souchon.

Mind you the night in question, when the gongs were handed out, was rather a feast for the "oldies" (or more kindly perhaps, those who've been around for a fair number of years); Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine won Best Male Artist, Catherine Ringer was Best Female Artist and Jean-Louis Aubert won Best Concert - although some would argue that he should have been given Best Album and/or Best Song.

Laurent Voulzy (screenshot from "Jeanne" video)

But back to Voulzy, the album "Lys & love" and more specifically "C'était déjà toi".

The album is, in Voulzy's own words, "atypical" and it definitely has a delicate oldworldly quality or feel to it.

That's not surprising really as the influence for the album has been Voulzy's declared fascination with the Middle Ages.

It shows.

The wait has been well worth it, and so is more than one listen - a fact with which Voulzy seems to be in complete agreement.

"There are those songs that instantly grab your attention immediately," says his official website of the album.

But there are also others that you have to play more than once and whose subtle beauty is revealed with every listen."

"C'était déjà toi" is exactly that.

Once again co-written with Alain Souchon, it mixes English and French lyrics, electronic and classical music and a melody that's almost hypnotically enchanting.

So close your eyes for a moment or two and take a listen as Voulzy carries you off to his own universe.

Friday's French music break - Sinclair, "Ça tourne dans ma tête"

Friday's French music break this week is from singer-songwriter Sinclair, who perhaps hasn't quite lived up to winning the best newcomer award (confusingly in the category "group") at the 1995 Victoires de la musique (the French equivalent of the Grammys).

Sinclair (screenshot from YouTube video)

Sinclair (real name Mathieu Blanc-Francard) is very much now a solo act and one whose musical influences, according to his official site, include Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone.

Yes, the 41-year-old has groove, soul and funk in his blood, as you can hear from his latest single "Ça tourne dans ma tête".

But there's a problem with the sound and his undeniable talent at writing songs with rhythm.

First up he hasn't got a great deal of it when he moves - well not if the video is anything to go by.

Secondly his voice isn't that great and the sound is just a little dated.

It might have shades of Mika to it and although it's definitely something to bop around to, that's it really.

Nothing more. Nothing really fresh and innovative.

And that surely just has to be a little embarrassing as Sinclair was a judge during two seasons of the now defunct TV talent show Nouvelle Star (the French version of Pop Idol) before stepping down in 2009 because he hadn't been satisfied with the musical and artistic level of the candidates during season seven.

Anyway, this is his latest single, taken from the imaginatively titled album "Sinclair" (must have taken a long time to come up with that, as it's only his tenth).

Take a listen and see what you think.

And if you like it, perhaps you want to check him out live.

For a full list of tour dates (march and April 2012) check out his website or go to his Facebook page.

Friday's French music break, Ben l'Oncle Soul's "Soul man"

Friday's French music break this week is a treat and a half for Soul lovers.

It comes from Benjamin Duterde, better known by his stage name of Ben l'Oncle Soul.

Ben l'Oncle Soul (screenshot from "Soul man" video)

Yes, France has a singer who can groove with very best that US R&B has to offer and as his name suggests has plenty of soul.

If you're familiar with this site you might well have heard of Ben l'Oncle Soul before as he was nominated for Les Victoires de la Musique, or the French equivalent of the Grammys, in four categories back in February.

They included Best Newcomer, which for some reason he didn't win, and Révélation Scène, which he did, and anyone who has been lucky enough to catch the 27-year-old will understand exactly why.

With his mighty voice, great stage presence and undeniable rhythm, Ben l'Oncle Soul has a sound influenced by the "old school of artists such as Otis Redding, Al Green and Aretha Franklin."

Little wonder then that he has signed to Motown France.

Ben l'Oncle Soul (screenshot from "Soul man" video)

He'll be performing at a number of festivals not just in France but also in Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States over the summer.

And from November he'll be on tour in France, appearing in a number of Zénith venues including two dates in Paris.

If you haven't bought a ticket yet - hurry. He's well worth it.

You can find the full schedule on his Myspace site here.

In the meantime, here's his monster hit from last year, the appropriately entitled "Soul Man".

And here's a challenge while you're watching and listening - try sitting still!

Friday's French music break - Zaz, "La Fée"

Friday's French music break this week comes from a singer who over the past year has had phenomenal success in France.

Zaz (screenshot from Le Figaro video)

Zaz fair burst on to the country's music scene in 2010 with her self-titled debut album totting up sales of 500,000 +

It spent over two months in the top spot and generated two hit singles; "Je veux" and "Le long de la route".

The 31-year-old was nominated in the category "Best newcomer" at the French equivalent of the Grammys - les victoires de la musique - losing out to the group Lilly Wood & The Prick, but she picked up "Song of the year" for Je veux.


Clearly Zaz isn't an overnight sensation. She has worked long and hard to get where she is and has probably been helped by a voice that is markedly different from anyone else's and a style of music that is distinctive with its jazz, folk, pop and street influences.

Her latest single, La Fée (the fairy) is also taken from her debut album and is one of three tracks written for her by singer-songwriter Raphaël.

La Fée (screenshot from lyricstranslate.com)

It is - quite appropriately - enchanting, and once again displays the unique quality of her voice and her ability to use it almost as an instrument.

So without further ado here's La Fée

For those of you who understand French enjoy the magic of the video.




If you need a translation of the lyrics, you'll find a rather good one here.

And just to compare and contrast, here's the version as sung by the person who penned the song, Raphaël.



Bon weekend.

Yael Naïm wins Best Female Artist at France's Victoires de la musique awards

Tuesday evening saw part two of Les Victoires de la musique awards, the French equivalent of the Grammys, broadcast live from Paris on France 2.

"Part two" because, in their infinite wisdom, organisers decided viewers probably weren't up for several hours of tra-la-la-ing and thank you speeches to all and sundry and split the ceremony in two.

Yael Naïm (screenshot from YouTube video)

February 9 was dedicated solely to newcomers and "revelations" with the public getting to vote in each category and the whole shebang being broadcast live from the northern city of Lille on France 2's (much) smaller sister station France 4.

Meanwhile Tuesday saw awards handed out to the "more established" artists with industry professionals getting to determine who got what.

Of course the voting procedure is more complex than that; but by and large the heavyweight awards were decided by those "in the know" who had already whittled the nominees in each category down to four and, apart from the Song of the Year which was left to a public vote, determined who got the gongs.

Perhaps the most interesting category of the evening was that of Best Female Artist because it had, in a real sense, a truly international flavour to it.

Added to that, there were some stunning performances although only three of the nominees were present.

Canadian Cœur de pirate (otherwise known as Béatrice Martin when she's not performing) who won the award in 2010 for Best Song gave a simple voice and piano rendition of "Francis" from her self-titled 2009 album.

Nigerian-French singer-songwriter Aṣa (pronounced Asha), trademark big specs and velvet timbre of a voice, treated the audience and viewers to a groovy "Be my man" taken from her 2010 album "Beautiful imperfection".



And French-Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naïm added a touch of soul and jazz as well as a heap of gospel to her pop-folk rock "Come home" from her "She was a boy" album.

Phew!

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Only Vanessa Paradis - French model-actress-singer and partner of Johnny Depp (or should that be the other way round?) was missing.

Perhaps she had guessed she wouldn't be picking up an award this time around but she already has a heap of them to her name.

And the winner is...Yael Naïm.

In the night's other categories awards were picked up by Gaëtan Roussel for both Best Male Artist and Best Album, M (full name Matthieu Chedid) and veteran Eddy Mitchell jointly for best concert/show/tour and Philippe Katerine (love him or hate him) for his splendidly as-usual off-the-wall "La banane" as Best Video.



The last award for Best Song - and the only one on the night left to the public vote - went to "Je veux" by Zaz.

As Paris Match said, "A lively evening and a long way from the seemingly interminable hours of poorly paced entertainment" viewers were subjected to last year.

France's "Grammys" - les victoires de la musique

Yes, yes, yes.

We all know that when it comes to music and film, only the United States and a handful of other English-speaking countries really count.

Sure there have been "foreign" Oscar winners across categories (usually the less well-publicised ones) over the years but by and large it's a collective slap on the back from Hollywood to itself.

The same can be surely said for the Grammys. Even though there are awards recognising reggae, Latin and World Music, the international headlines are made by the likes of Lady Gaga Justin Bieber and co.

Just take a look at those nominated in the category Best New Artist this year.

There were five them; Esperanza Spalding, the winner, Justin Bieber, Drake, Florence and The Machine and Mumford & Sons.

Notice anything?

Here's a hint: United States, Canada, Canada, United Kingdom, United Kingdom.

Yep. That's where this year's Best New Artists came from!

But of course there's a whole world beyond North America and other native English speaking countries - really.

And there's plenty of music around that never reaches the ears of those most attuned to the language of Shakespeare in all its many forms, simply because...well who knows? But it probably has something to do with it not being in English.

So to redress the balance - just a little - here's a selection of what was on offer this past week in France as the award for Best Newcomer was handed out at part one (it's complicated) of Les Victoires de la Musique, this country's equivalent, if you will, of the Grammys

First up, Ben l'Oncle Soul

Ready to groove? Then how about tuning your ears into Benjamin Duterde, better known under his stage name of Ben l'Oncle Soul.

Ben l'Oncle Soul (screenshot from YouTube video)

The 27-year-old from the city of Tours in central-western France first came to the attention of a wider audience in 2009 after the release of a six-track EP which included his remake of White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army"

Over the past year though his self-titled album has won critical acclaim with what is described as a sound influenced by the "old school of artists such as Otis Redding, Al Green and Aretha Franklin."

Yes, Ben l'Oncle Soul is French "SOUL" writ large very much in the style of all those US greats and, as if to drive home the point, he's signed to Motown France.




Camélia Jordana

The second nominee was 18-year-old Camélia Jordana Aliouane.

French television talent shows have thrown up a number of fresh faces over the years.

Some have gone on to become household names, others have disappeared whence they came.

Camélia Jordana (screenshot from YouTube video)

Camélia Jordana (she dropped her surname for professional purposes) falls into the former category.

Largely expected to win the now defunct Nouvelle Star (the French version of Pop Idol) in 2009, she was in fact knocked out in the semi-finals.

But "talent will out" and after signing with Sony music, she released her first (self-titled) album in March last year and has already had three hit singles.

No matter what you think of her voice, it's certainly one few can forget.




Zaz

Now here's a coincidence - another artist hailing from Tours - Isabelle Geffroy or "Zaz" to use the name under which she performs.

Perhaps there's something in the water.

Zaz (screenshot from YouTube video)

Her music is a truly eclectic mix of blues, jazz, variety, rock, reggae, rap and the kitchen sink combining with her distinctive sound to produce a singer, who in the words of critics, "Beyond dispute has been blessed with a unique vocal ability as well as a power and vibrato."

Her debut album was a best seller in France last year, hitting the number one spot for six weeks has so far produced two enormous hits; "Je veux" and "Le long de la route".




Lilly Wood & The Prick

Last - and by no means least as the saying goes - Lilly Wood & The Prick.

Lilly Wood & The Prick (screenshot from YouTube video)

Formed and fronted by Nili Hadida et Benjamin Cotto[ back in 2006 - the group perhaps puts paid to the idea that Myspace no longer has any role on the Net, because that's where they were first "discovered".

They sing in English and their music is described as a pop, folk, electro.




There you go. Proof that music is alive and well in France with four artists whose styles are refreshing and...well...you judge.

Now you're probably wondering who won.

Well, after all that lengthy introduction about the Grammys and the overall lack of recognition for acts other than North American or British ones because of the overwhelming linguistic bias...blah, blah, blah.

Yes you've guessed it. The French gave the award of Victoire de la Musique in the category "Best Newcomer" to the only act that sings exclusively in English.

Oh well.