Un gars ben ordinaire

Album review

Robert Charlebois' sixth LP, Un Gars Ben Ordinaire ("An ordinary guy," from a line in the song "Ordinaire") was released in 1971 by Gamma. It consists of a collection of odds and ends, songs previously released on single A- or B-sides and a couple of leftovers from the Robert Charlebois/Louise Forestier and Québec Love sessions (but it is considered a legitimate album). It contains a couple of essential songs but is otherwise much weaker than the aforementioned two previous LPs. All these songs were intended for radio play. They drop the psychedelic experimentations to focus on conciseness and, in many cases, humor. "Ordinaire," the heart-breaking cry of a fading show business star, and "Mon Pays" have become two of the singer's most popular songs, the latter marking the beginning of a fruitful collaboration with novelist/lyricist Réjean Ducharme. "Down in the South" (sung in English), "Miss Pepsi," and "Mme. Bertrand" all have a slight folkloric accent. "Deux Femmes en Or," an ambitious and highly uncharacteristic orchestral piece, was commissioned for a movie by the same title, while "Solitudine" is an Italian version of "Sensation" (from Québec Love), recorded by Patti Pravo. Filled with hits and misses, Un Gars Ben Ordinaire is already closer to Solidaritude than the psychedelic rock albums of 1968 and 1969.

© François Couture /TiVo