Good---but not the best choice for a single Piaf CD (three a
Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 12/12/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Edith Piaf is unequivocally the greatest French chanteuse of all time. Edith's natural ability to emote through her songs enabled her to make each ballad into a fascinating story. Edith had the ability to wrap her adoring audiences around her pinky finger and lead them wherever she wanted them to go. She was incredible.
This CD doesn't have as much material as I would like it to have; but what we get is very high quality control the whole way. The album opens with "Laccordéoniste;" the number opens with a great accordion flourish; and when Edith comes in this number takes flight! Edith's excellent diction enhances her ability to sing this excellent ballad which tells the story of an artist who plays the accordion. "Laccordéoniste" flows nicely and Edith handles the tempo changes faultlessly. "Laccordéoniste" impresses me greatly.
"La Vie En Rose," one of Edith's most popular numbers and one she helped to write, features a younger Edith singing her heart out for this beautiful love song. Unfortunately, "La Vie En Rose" has a fair amount of surface noise and I wish they had used a cleaned up recording instead of throwing this in with the other tracks.
"Hymne A L'amour," another huge Piaf hit, pulls at your heartstrings as Edith sings of her undying love for her man. Even if you don't understand French, when you hear Edith sing this ballad you'll be quite moved and impressed. I never tire of hearing "Hymne A L'amour." Listen also for another huge hit for Piaf, "La Goualante Du Pauvre Jean." "La Goualante Du Pauvre Jean" sounds like a recording made later on in Edith's life because it is so clear. The male backup chorus bolsters Edith nicely and the musical arrangement uses the accordion and percussion very well.
"Milord" features Edith at her best; and I predict you will enjoy "Milord" very, very much. The musical arrangement sounds playful as Edith sings of a woman who wants to cheer up a man who is her guest. Milord" tells the story of how Edith's character wants the man to forget his lost love so he can learn to enjoy life once again. Excellent!
The album ends with "L'homme à la moto;" this number features Edith singing as passionately as ever. The musical arrangement uses the brass and percussion well.
The liner notes have good artwork and we get the song credits. I wish there were an essay but this is a minor disappointment. However, one thing that truly does disappoint me is that the total running time is a mere 38 minutes. That's not good; and I will take off one and one-half stars for this letdown.
Overall, Edith Piaf's superlative talent is nicely showcased here--but the CD is way too brief. We get twelve songs and there should have been more. This CD is best suited for the casual Piaf fan who wants just a few of her best to enjoy. Diehard Piaf fans will want to have this but they will certainly want many other Edith Piaf albums as well.
"
Reissue of Greatest Hits album from 1961
M.M. | VA, USA | 05/27/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
""De L' Accordéoniste à Milord" is a Greatest Hits album from 1961, released when Edith Piaf was still active and alive. This title is part of the original 13 albums reissued in 2003 to mark the 40th anniversary of Edith Piaf's passing in 1963. For the fans who are looking for a single-disc collection probably this is not the best choice since it was meant as a career recap for the fans of the time of the release. In any case, the song selection is great and all of the tracks have become classics in Edith Piaf's discography."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1