Excellent contemporary French CD, a collection must have!
M. Pham | Sugar Land, TX USA | 06/09/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This breathy, mellow, relaxing CD is perfect for an afternoon at the cafe, Sunday morning mood music, or a winter evening by the fire. Dreamy, romantic, with a tinge of his signature Gainsbourg-esque style, Biolay's voice is like a Frenchman's caress - sensual and inviting, yet confident and bold at the same time. You can definitely keep this on replay. "Les Roses et Les Promesses" evokes 60's and 70' style French classics, while "Sous le soleil du mois d'aout" has a contemporary acoustic mediterranean feel. "La Melodie du bonheur" is bluesy loungey. Using acoustic guitar, piano and very little else to embellish his lyrics and his voice, Biolay transports you to a faraway place where stress melts away replaced by a whispering silky solitude. This is one of the best French CD's in my collection."
The First Biolay : An Album of Unmatched Beauty
M. Pham | 08/20/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First of all, you must know that Marilyn Monroe features on this record in obscure soundbytes from some of her lesser known songs. Every so often, you will find her creeping up in the middle of a song; the music stops, and Marilyn takes over. Then the music takes over again in a sweeping crescendo reminiscent of a David Lynch production. To say that this album is `unique' would be a understatement. There has never been, and never will be an album like it. It perplexes me, confuses me, but I have always enjoyed it in the many years I've had a copy. In France, this often tops many `Best of All Time' lists, and while my praise for it cannot be that extravagant, I must say that I've never heard anything quite like this before.
Benjamin Biolay would go on to record many albums in his native France, but none would top the beauty of this debut album. As a `concept album', it recounts the life of the Kennedy clan through the medium of song, and takes you through their lives jointly - some of these pieces are experimental, but they are always lush and melodious. My personal favorite is the spectacular "Les Cerfs-Volants" (do try to find the video for this one - its an experience in itself). Slow burner of an opener "Novembre tout l'annee" is an accomplished musical achievement, but by the time the record winds down with the last song ("The last hour of the last day" - and no prizes for guessing what this ones all about), its interesting that the music never falters and never wanes.
If youre a French speaker, you will find the lyrics far more compelling than the music. Biolay is known as one of the few people who can stretch the French language to its' limits in terms of double entendres and linguistic poetry, but this is often considered his best work. Even if you don't speak the language, you can be assured that this is an album for keeps - an epic record that only gets better with time. Personally, I think Biolay only came into his own with his double-CD "Negatif", which is the one album I keep hoping will top the `Best Of' lists in France, but it never does. I guess it's the `Kennedy' connection that keeps getting this album all the attention, which is just as well.
"Rose Kennedy" is a French album that every self-respecting world music lover needs to have in their collection. Five Stars. Highly Recommended.
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Track Listings (14) - Disc #1
