French music seen from abroad March 2006

Gainsbourg and the Lolitas

Paris 

04/04/2006 - 

Fifteen years after his death, Serge Gainsbourg is back in record stores with a vengeance – just like his former muse, Jane Birkin, now a fully fledged star in her own right. The legendary poet, Gitane-smoker and womaniser would surely have appreciated Françoiz Breut, part of the young feminine guard of 'new French chanson', and modern pop Lolitas such as Olivia Ruiz.

Greater dead than alive! That's the paradox of Gainsbourg, a songwriter who spent many years languishing in the shadows while others scored hits with his work. Indeed, it was years before the singer - who famously dubbed himself "l'homme à la tête de chou" (cabbage head) -  charted with one of his own songs. Gainsbourg was finally acknowledged as music king in the 80s, but since his death on 2 March 1991, he has become even more of a cult figure, admired and respected way beyond France. Meanwhile, Gainsbourg's grave in Montparnasse cemetery in Paris, has become a place of pilgrimage increasingly frequented in recent months, as the offerings of cigarette packets, métro tickets, cigarette lighters, fake banknotes and a cabbage wearing dark glasses attest.

Needless to say, the fifteenth anniversary of Gainsbourg's death was marked by a flood of re-releases and tribute albums. But the release that caught the attention of the international press was Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited (a compilation released on the Barclay label). "Cat Power, Franz Ferdinand, Portishead, Feist, R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, Marianne Faithful and sixties icon Jane Birkin have all contributed to the Serge Gainsbourg tribute album," American music bible Rolling Stone enthused (28/2). Another American publication, Chattanooga Pulse (22/2) reported that "Many of the songs have been tackled by duos, threesomes and other artist combinations, such as Cat Power and Karen Elson (super model and Jack White's new bride) covering "I Love You (Me Either)", Kid Loco and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker confessing "I Just Came to Tell You That I'm Going", Marianne Faithful crooning "Lola R. For Ever" with reggae superstars Sly and Robbie and Françoise Hardy, Faultline and Brian Molko  of Placebo working out "Requiem For a Jerk." However, even the greatest of contemporary music stars were faced with the eternal problem that copies rarely live up to the original! The Observer in the U.K. (19/3) described the album as an "all-star Anglo cast paying a tacky tribute to the French provocateur" while in Canada the Toronto Sun (21/3) declared that "Like most tribute records, Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited is a hit-and-miss affair."

Pop Lolitas

Now, it might well be mere coincidence, but Jane Birkin - Gainsbourg's ex-partner and most famous muse - also released a new album this month. Birkin, who rose to fame as the saucy pop Lolita supplying breathy backing vocals on Gainsbourg's risqué classic Je t'aime… moi non plus, has gone on to become the most popular English 'chanteuse' in France. And, following the success of Arabesque (an album featuring Oriental reworkings of Gainsbourg songs), Ms. Birkin is currently back in the news with Fictions (released on Capitol). Gainsbourg's role as songwriting Pygmalion is now assumed by the 'crème de la crème' of the music scene on both sides of the Channel. In Spain, La Voz de Galicia (20/3) reported that "Neil Hannon (aka The Divine Comedy), The Magic Numbers, Beth Gibbons, Rufus Wainwright and Dominique A feature among the songwriting credits on the new album. And Johnny Marr, former guitarist with The Smiths, composed the arrangements for all twelve tracks on Fictions." No wonder they sound so Britishly hip!
 
It appears that the Gainsbourg-Birkin style has exerted a lasting influence on French music. Françoiz Breut has been the latest artist experimenting with a fragile vocal style, leading Hamburg's Abendblatt (9/3) in Germany, to jokingly declare that "French artist Françoiz Breut is not a proper singer", describing her as "a breathy diva à la Jane Birkin." Following the release of Une saison volée (Tôt ou Tard), an album much acclaimed by the critics, Françoiz Breut proved to be one of the hottest acts of Le Pop on Tour in Germany (a tour which also included an appearance by Mathieu Boogaerts).
 
While Françoiz Breut appeals to the music intelligentsia, Olivia Ruiz goes in for the populist vote, but the young singer has nevertheless managed to make everyone forget her TV reality past as a contestant on Star Academy. Indeed, young Olivia has really come into her own of late, winning new fans all the way to Lebanon, where she performed for the first time on 7 March 2006. The critic from local newspaper The Daily Star (9/3) was impressed by the young French singer's performance: "Mixing early Nick Cave, 1920s French cabaret and a pinch of rock, the 26-year-old French 'chanteuse' Olivia Ruiz captivated the crowd at Music Hall, in Downtown Beirut."

Chao in Cuba, Jonasz in Israel

Meanwhile, over in Israel, the newspaper Haaretz (15/3) celebrated a significant event in the music world. "After years during which Enrico Macias was the sole representative of French singers to perform in Israel," Michael Jonasz, whom Haaretz describes as "one of France's greatest singers", flew out to give his first concert in Israel at Tel Aviv's Performing Arts Center. Impressed by what he saw, the newspaper's critic proclaimed that he no longer had cause "to wonder why this short man, who turns 60 next year, has been a successful performer for more than forty years." As for Manu Chao, a consummate globe-trotter who has performed extensively worldwide, he got to play his first ever gig in Cuba. The press agency Prensa Latina (18/2) proudly reported that "The legendary Manu Chao, internationally renowned as a great musical innovator, chose Cuba as a stopping point on his tour." Needless to say, the former Mano Negra frontman, who rounded off his Latin American tour in Mexico City on 26 March, received an enthusiastic reception.

Gilles  Rio

Translation : Julie  Street