FRENCH NEWS - in English of course. Politics, sports, reviews, travel, a slice of life in France and stories you might not necessarily be able to find elsewhere on the Net.
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.
Friday's French music break this week is from a singer who first broke on to the music scene back in 1981.
It's "En surface", the most recent single from Étienne Daho and taken from his 2013 album "Les Chansons de l'innocence retrouvée"
Étienne Daho (screenshot from official video of "En surface".
As you can tell, Daho has been around a while and has built up a firm and loyal fan base and has become (in the words of the promotional blurb) "one of the most influential personalities to have emerged on the French scene in the last 30 years"
Part of the problem (for those not quite so enamoured of his music) is that Daho seems to have been "singing" (inverted commas entirely intentional as he has a "voice" that surely only the French could "love") variations of the same song since the 1980s.
And in fact, he appears to be well and truly stuck in that era, offering up little that is sparklingly different, not to mention tuneful and instead relying on a tried and tested recipe of electro-pop "synth-driven and rock-surf influenced" (his English language Wikipedia entry, so you know it must be right). music which has, admittedly, served him well over the decades.
Very well in fact with every album turning gold or platinum and a slew of successful singles.
Granted "the familiarity factor" could probably be said to be true for many artists who've proven their longevity, but in the process, Daho just sounds too moody and bored when he sings. Don't you think?
"En surface" is one of those songs that you hear and wish would be over quickly because the melody and the "low whispery voice" have a combined soporific effect (for some) which will simply send you off to the Land of Nod.
All right. That's not exactly fair - just an opinion.
There are plenty around who have enjoyed, and continue to do so, Daho's music. And the album from which this track was taken, received some pretty good reviews when it was released.
Writing in Le Journal du dimanche, critic Éric Mandel described "Les Chansons de l'innocence retrouvée" as an "ambitious and elegant album" and one that was "sumptuous with songs that stood out for their emotional power."
Oh well.
And then there are the diehard fans, some of whose comments on the "En surface" video on YouTube are equally gushing
"Magnifique chanson , magnifique clip, magnifique chanteur, magnifique voix !" for example. Really, you shouldn't need to run that throught Google translate.
Or
"Une très belle chanson."
And
"Ma chanson préférée de l'album.....octobre est encore loin pour revivre la magie de ses concerts."
Ah October...and the "Diskönoir" tour which will, over the next few months, see Daho take the show on the road around France (with three dates at Olympia in Paris) Belgium and Luxembourg, plus a date in London on October 23.
Ready? Judge for yourselves.
Actually it's not so bad after a dozen or so hearings....
It might be more than stating the obvious, but humour is a personal thing, isn't it?
You either find something funny or you don't.
That said though, when you live abroad and regardless of your language skills or knowledge of cultural references, it can be especially hard to grasp what those around you might find amusing.
For example, if you've ever flipped on the television remote control and watched one of the country's many, many stand-up acts, or have been invited along to the theatre to "enjoy a live show" you might well have found yourself wondering what the heck everyone in the audience was laughing about.
Sure there are some acts out there who raise more than a smile or two as soon as they leap on to the stage, but it's rare to find one as appealing and immediately engaging as actress and comedienne Audrey Lamy.
She might not be at the top of her profession yet, but on recent evidence...Lamy's getting there.
Her face might be familiar to some of you. The 32-year-old is one of the stars of M6's runaway early evening comedy show "Scènes de ménages", which features short sketches from the daily lives of four couples.
Lamy appears as "Marion", a 30-something who lives with her other half Cédric (played by Loup-Denis Elion) in a studio apartment.
The short sketch format on TV seems to work well in France and of course helped launch the career of Lamy's older sister Alexandra when she appeared alongside her now-husband Jean Dujardin in France 2's "Un gars, une fille".
A talented family, obviously.
Back to Lamy - Audrey that is - though, who has just come to the end of a one-woman show she has taken around the country over the past three years with not just one, but three dates at the much-revered venue of Olympia in Paris.
As soon as she bounces on to the stage, it's difficult not to be won over.
Lamy engages immediately with the audience, has extraordinary energy which doesn't slow down over the course of one-and-a-half hours and the most infectious of laughs.
There are some magical moments, especially her love affair with a Brad Pitt bottomed frying pan - the sort of sketch that's short, silly and universal enough to appeal.
And there are clear signs that the woman is most definitely multi-talented as alongside the comedy, she also manages to belt out a tune and dance.
If there are any criticisms to be made it would be the need to tighten up some of the material and increase the range of characters she portrays.
Some of the sketches seem overlong with the punch line sometimes being repeated a little too often.
And while Lamy comes across as self deprecating, slightly cranky and a little too loud, it occasionally seems a little to familiar to "Marion" - the role she plays on television.
Lamy has depth and acting ability - evidence of that was on show in her roles in the hit movies "Tout ce qui brille" and "Polisse", films - it just doesn't always come across in her one-woman show.
OK so you've missed her tour in France, but hopefully Lamy will be back with some new material shortly.
And for those who fancy it, there's one date still left to play - in Barcelona on May 25.
In the meantime though, take a look at the accompanying videos for an idea of Lamy's humour.
In the first, she parodies Brad Pitt's dreadful Chanel No. 5 commercial.
The second is a supposed casting (in Franglais) in front of US director Quentin Tarantino - whose name she never quite manages to pronounce correctly - for the role eventually given to fellow French actress Mélanie Laurent in his film "Inglourious Basterds".
Finally there's the blue rabbit...well see for yourselves.
French singer Chimène Badi returned to Olympia, that mythical musical venue on Boulevard Capucines in Paris, this week to "treat" her fans to a collection of songs mainly taken from her most recent album - "Gospel and Soul".
It could and should have been a chance for the 30-year-old to prove that the rather mediocre rendition of many of the songs on the album had been down to over-produced studio arrangements and that "live" she would belt out what was a great selection of songs, with passion.
After all, Badi arguably has one of the best voices of her generation. It's powerful and distinctive and you would think ideally suited to both Gospel and Soul.
It wasn't to be the case.
Things didn't get off to the best of starts with fans sitting through a 20 minute warm-up act and then having to wait almost another 40 minutes before Badi made an appearance.
The Paris audience - and let's face it, they're never among the most patient - began the inevitable slow hand clap interspersed with calls for their "star" before...finally the curtain raised and the first chords were struck.
Musically-speaking the choice of "Proud Mary" as an opening number was far from being inspired as it displayed just how lacking in stage presence and charisma Badi really is.
Yes, she has a voice that makes her instantly recognisable, but choosing only half-heartedly to emulate Tina Turner's performance of the Creedence Clearwater Revival song, proved to be her undoing.
Breathless, as she seemed to forget all the lessons she might have learned from her recent appearance in Danse avec les stars, Badi also missed - or failed to make (there's a slight distinction) some of her notes.
It rather set the tone, as far as the English-language songs were concerned, for the rest of the evening.
There was Stevie Wonder's "For once in my life" - best described perhaps as simply karaoke-inspired.
An a cappella version of "Amazing Grace" was...well simply neither "amazing" nor "graceful" - but perhaps it was never meant to be.
Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" was lost amid the "battle" that seemed to ensue between Badi and a band of undoubtedly individually-talented musicans whose volume seemed to have been cranked-up to the max.
Thankfully the late Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell are no longer around to hear what Badi did with "Ain't no mountain high enough" and hopefully nobody will tell Diana Ross.
And as far as Otis Redding's "Try a little tenderness" was concerned...well Badi shouldn't even have gone there. It was cringingly embarrassing.
She fared better - it wasn't difficult - with some of the French-language songs.
Georges Moustaki's "Ma liberté", Native's "Tu planes sur moi" and Nicole Croisille's "Parlez-moi de lui" - all worked pretty well - given how dreadful the English-language songs had been.
Getting it right - "Tu planes sur moi" excerpt
The inclusion of a couple of "favourites" from previous albums such as "Le Miroir" and "Entre Nous" - both given the Gospel and Soul treatment - will have kept the most loyal fans happy.
Or will they? After all this was far from being the Badi that most of them had grown to appreciate since she was said to have a "Rolls Royce of a voice" by one of the judges when she first came to the public's attention on the now-defunct TV talent show "Popstars"
Really, Badi - and her management - needs to learn that there's more to Gospel and Soul than dismal cover versions of stand alone originals.
And it's not enough to have six and sometimes a dozen other singers with less-than extraordinary voices, dressed in the appropriate garb and swaying and clapping in accompaniment, for the performance to qualify as Gospel.
Badi will be back at Olympia for three dates in January 2013 when again she'll be subjecting audiences to what can only be described as a rather lame or tame attempt at either Gospel or Soul.
If they - or you - want to hear the real thing - French style - and yes it does exist - then they would be better off trying Nicoletta. Perhaps that's a piece of advice Badi should also bear in mind.
And here's some more.
Chiméne - Yes, you can sing. There's no doubt about that. But no you cannot sing Gospel and Soul - at least not in English because you don't have the voice, the passion or the feel for either.
Stick with French ballads or even uptempo numbers
But please, for the sake of those who really love music and for whom the genres matter - leave well alone.
Quote of the night overheard in the bar just before the show - perhaps an omen of what was to come.
Bar lady: "What would you like sir?"
Customer: "I don't know...I"m torn between a glass of champagne or a beer."
He finally plumped for champagne served, in what appeared to be, a beer glass.
And that's pretty much what Badi did too.
Here's how "Try a little tenderness" should sound.
Mind you, that doesn't mean it's any more comprehensible as the lyrics of "My name is Stain" aren't particularly inspiring or complicated at first glance and run along the lines of...
"The guy next door, is such a whore
the food I eat is poison or
I eat no food cause I can't find a store"
But heck, how often have you heard and liked a song that seems to say little or nothing?
Founded in Paris at the beginning of the last decade, SHK PNK as they're apparently often referred to - take a look at the official website - by friends, family and fans are at heart a six-piece band (seven if you count the virtual monkey who appears with them on stage and in videos) comprising François Charon or Frah, CC, Mandris Steve and since 2010 the Anglo-Egyptian singer Samaha Sam.
Their music is a blend of electro-rock, funk, hip hop and punk (where was the kitchen sink?) and on their official Facebook page Shaka Ponk - sorry it's hard to stick with the vernacular - SHK PNK is - wait for this, "a mutant rock band that explores the virtual to have better roots in reality."
Huh?
Work it out for yourself if you can - or must.
Several years and three albums down the line the group has found commercial success with a series of sold out dates in France and of course TV appearances such as the one recently on France 2's music show Taratata.
And they'll be back at Olympia in Paris in November.
Their latest album, "The Geeks And The Jerkin' Socks" released in June 2011 has so far spent 30 weeks in the charts and the single "My name is Stain" peaked at number seven for three weeks and is still receiving plenty of airplay.
That's enough with the statistics already.
Here's the song whose lyrics do apparently have a sense behind them (listen to the beginning of the interview with Nagui on Taratata if you're keen to discover more) even if they are pretty obscure and contrived.
It actually doesn't matter one iota though as the melody is irresistible and that's usually what sticks in the head.
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