Francoise Hardy

Clair Obscur - Virgin 7243 8 492032 6 - 2000

Tracks: 1. Puisque vows partez en voyage / 2. Tous mes souvenirs me tuent / 3. Celui que tu veux / 4. Clair Obscur / 5. Un home set mort / 6. Duck's Blues / 7. I'll Be Seing You / 8. Tu resembles a tous crux qui not eu du chagrin / 9. La pleine lune / 10. So Sad / 11. La saison des pluies / 12. Contre vents et marees / 13. La verite des choses

Comments:

Francoise Hardy wrote and recorded a long string of fine songs and albums in the sixties. I always enjoyed her voice and the usually simple arrangements of her songs, often with her acoustic guitar in the foreground.

It seemed that by the end of the 1960's she disappeared from the charts and radio-stations; at least outside her native France. Fact is, that she has released new albums regularly since then, but I think ferw people was aware. I thought she had more or less left the music scene, when I heard her duet of "The End" with Damon Albarn and Blur in 1995 - a great recording.

This album, released in 2000, was at first more or less a disappointment for me. Most of it sounded pretty much as easy listening - polished production etc. Eventually I discovered that there was actually a great variety of muscial styles.

Francoise Hardy still writes a great deal of her material, and songs like "Tu resembles a tous ceux qui ont eu du chagrin", "Duck's blues" and "La saison des pluies" are highlights on the album, and probably the ones that come the closest to her 1960's style. I also enjoy her cover of the Everly Brothers' "So Sad", her duet with Iggy Pop "I'll Be Seeing You" and most important: her voice sounds a good as ever!

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