On holidays, different languages and sounds tend to blend easily into each other. That is very much reflected in this summer's musical surprises: French-speaking artists sing in Spanish, while Spain's greatest star returns the favour by singing in French.
Francis Cabrel, whose album
Les Beaux dégâts (Columbia), released last year, is still hanging in there in the French and Belgian charts, has just entered the Canadian top 100 at no. 89 with the Spanish-language compilation
Francis Cabrel en espagnol (Sony). Cabrel started occasionally singing in Spanish a few years ago, and had a hit with
Vengo a ofrecer mi corazón. Spanish comes even more naturally to
Arielle Dombasle, who sings standards from her Mexican childhood on the hit album
Amor, Amor (Columbia), no. 24 this month on the Greek charts, 62 in Wallonia and 93 in Canada. Reversing the language switch,
Julio Iglesias finds favour in the French-speaking world with
L’homme que je suis (Columbia), a collection of new songs in French, his first since the 1980s and his legendary hits such as
Vous les femmes and
Je n’ai pas changé. No. 3 on the French hit parade,
L’Homme que je suis is also doing well in Belgium (no. 5 in Wallonia), Greece (no. 33) and Switzerland (no. 87). If this summer is turning out to be something of a cultural melting pot, it will surely do
Yannick Noah no harm. His album
Métisse(s) ("mixed race") released on Columbia, has not quite hit the top in France as his others have done (it's "only" at no. 2), and is also charting at no. 6 in Wallonia and no. 28 in Switzerland.
Holidays and travel go well together, which is why world music is so popular at this time of the year! The Malian couple
Amadou & Mariam have really hit the big time in 2005. Favourites of Manu Chao, the two are winning over audiences in a number of countries across the world. This month, their album
Dimanche à Bamako (Because), no. 10 in the French hit parade, managed to sneak into the charts in the Netherlands (no. 98), Italy (no. 60), Switzerland (no. 72), Belgium (no. 75 in Flanders, no. 48 in Wallonia) and the U.K. (no. 139).
Gotan Project are impressing the Argentineans with their mix of tango and electro. Their album
La Revancha del Tango, released in 2001 on Ya Basta ! is no. 17 on the Argentine charts, and no. 93 in Italy. Two compilations are also making an appearance in international charts –
Era's best of on Mercury is no. 90 in Estonia, while the
Gipsy Kings (
Volare – The Very Best Of, Columbia) is no. 33 in Venezuela.
The new French rock scene is doing well across French-speaking Europe.
Mickey 3D, who rose to success on the back of their hit
J’ai demandé à la lune, written for the group Indochine, return to the spotlight with
Matador (Virgin). The album hit the top of the French charts, and is also riding high in hit parades in Belgium (no. 15 in Wallonia), and in Switzerland (no. 17). The young
Raphael is also doing his bit for Gallic rock. His latest album
Caravane (Capitol), is his biggest success to date, topping album sales in France, and in the top 10 in Wallonia (no. 2) and Switzerland (no. 9). Other French rock groups are bringing up the rear, such as Kyo with
300 Lésions. As for French rap,
K-Maro is in the European charts with
Good Life (Up Music) which is no. 15 in Finland and no. 23 in Hungary.
Mainstream pop is very much the sound of summer as well.
Marc Lavoine's L’Heure d’été (Mercury), for example, has found favour in Wallonia (no. 2) and Switzerland (no. 30).
Yann Tiersen, who quit the pop scene for a while to work on movie soundtracks, returns with
Les Retrouvailles (Labels/Virgin), which is currently placed no. 16 in Greece, no. 50 in Wallonia, no. 96 in Flanders and no. 76 in Switzerland. As usual, female pop singers are doing well.
Mylène Farmer's
Avant que l’ombre (Polydor) has reached no. 13 in Wallonia, no. 91 in Switzerland and no. 64 in Estonia.
Lara Fabian's
9 (Polydor), has gone down well in Belgium (no. 23 in Wallonia) and Estonia (no. 91), while
Carla Bruni has hit the big time with
Quelqu’un m’a dit (Naïve), no. 15 in the American Top World Music (according to Billboard). Meanwhile
Anggun's latest album
Luminescence (Columbia) is no. 43 in Italy. Having gone platinum in Hungary, the musical
Roméo et Juliette (Mercury) hangs on at no. 18 after several months in the top 20.
And if you've still got the energy to dance, perhaps you'll go for veteran Jean-Michel Jarre's Live In China (Dreyfus) (no. 50), or the disappointing last album by Daft Punk, Human After All (Labels/Virgin), which is no. 84 in Wallonia and no. 16 in the American Top Electronic charts.
