The late Joe Dassin was a very successful singer in his adopted France, and this collection, released by Sony/BMG France in 2005 contains 23 of his biggest tunes. This particular edition lacks the second disc of material associated with other releases, but still captures this singer's best moments. Includes "Et si Tu n'Existais Pas," "Les Champs-Elysees," and "Le Chemin de Papa."© Chris True /TiVo

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Tour 66: Stade de France 2009 documents the farewell tour of Johnny Hallyday, who announced his intention of retiring from the stage a couple years earlier. The album's title is an allusion to both the singer's advanced age and the iconic American highway. The tour commenced on May 8, 2009, and included a few sold-out shows at the 80,000-seat Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis, as well as a free concert for 800,000 people at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Unfortunately, the tour came to a premature conclusion when Hallyday experienced a series of health problems late in the year that became something of a controversy when he was treated in the United States after a botched surgery in France. While the tour didn't go ahead as planned, leaving many fans holding tickets for canceled shows, at least there is Tour 66: Stade de France 2009, a satisfactory document of the tour released in a variety of formats. The standard edition includes 34 songs spread across two CDs, including a good mix of greatest hits, cover songs, recent material, and the new song "Et Maintenant." The greatest hits include "Ma Gueule," "Joue Pas de Rock'n'Roll pour Moi," "Diego, Libre dans Sa Tête," "Que Je T'Aime," "Allumer le Feu," "Noir C'est Noir," "Derrière l'Amour," "La Musique Que J'Aime," and "L'Envie." The cover songs include "Je Veux Te Graver dans Ma Vie" (an adaptation of the Beatles' "Got to Get You Into My Life"), "Unchained Melody" (as popularized by the Righteous Brothers), "Blue Suede Shoes" (Carl Perkins), "That's All Right" (Elvis Presley), "La Terre Promise" (an adaptation of Chuck Berry's "Promised Land"), "I Got a Woman" (Ray Charles), and "Les Coups" (an adaptation of Stevie Wonder's "Uptight [Everything's Alright]"). The more recent material includes the chart-toppers "Ça N'Finira Jamais" and "Marie" from 2008 and 2002, respectively. Lastly, there's an encore performance of "Et Maintenant," a great new song released as the album's lead single. Beside this two-CD standard edition of Tour 66, there are a couple different DVD releases, plus a mammoth collector's edition box set that includes four CDs, two DVDs, and all kinds of bonus material. Though Hallyday is well past his prime here on Tour 66, he gives an impassioned performance that makes for a fitting farewell; moreover, the set list is nicely balanced between hits and covers.© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo

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After half a century bringing rock & roll to the French-speaking world, Belgian born Johnny Hallyday released Ca Ne Finira Jamais ("It Never Ends") in 2009 amidst a farewell tour. While Hallyday may still be virtually unknown outside of the Francophone world, he is the closest thing France has got to a real rock star and while overblown at times, this 2009 album finally comes close to capturing true rock & roll. With over 40 studio albums under his Elvis-inspired belt, Hallyday delivers his entire repertoire of musical variety on Ca Ne Finira Jamais; from the traditional ballads his old fans will be craving such as "Emily" and "Etat de Grâce," to blues melodies reminiscent of those he adopted in his Nashville days ("Je M'arrête Là"). He even teams up with some young soul blood, singing with Joss Stone on "Unchained Melody" -- a beautiful rendition of the song, but unfortunately one that is not included on the U.S. version of the album. One of his smartest moves may have been to enlist the help of the young pop singer Raphaël for the sentimental but sweet "Je N'appartiens Qu'a Toi" ("I Belong Only to You"). For those craving good, old-fashioned rock, Johnny Hallyday may never cut it, and he will undoubtedly retain his label as a great pretender. For those who understand his lyrics and are eternally grateful to him for introducing American rock & roll to a country inherently opposed to it, he will remain their very own King. For the latter group, Ca Ne Finira Jamais is full of everything one might desire; epic ballads, sweet love songs, and Hallyday's own version of the blues. For everyone else, it's worth a listen, but most likely won't stand out as anything exceptional.© Celeste Rhoads /TiVo

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Produced by longtime mentor Corneille, Changer le Monde is the second album from former O.N.E. vocalist Pierre Gage. Influenced by Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Lauryn Hill, the Francophone Canadian's 2008 follow-up to Soul Rebel combines dancehall, soul, and reggae, and includes the singles "Pardonne-Moi" and "Tu Peux Choisir," a duet with French R&B chanteuse Vitaa, and a bonus remix of "Doudos" featuring Shabba.© Jon O'Brien /TiVo

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