Victoire de la musique

We will gladly forgive the occasional "weakness" in sound technology in this recording of Troyens by Berlioz (recorded live in concert in April 2017). In light of the first-rate quality of the music and vocals that appear on the disc (a majority of which are French voices, with Stéphane Degout at their head) this immense work is from the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra and the three choirs which have been brought together – because the work demands immense swelling choirs – which are the choir of the Opéra national du Rhin, the Opéra National de Bade, and the Strasbourg Philharmonic's own choir. This recording rests, of course, on the complete original edition, which gives the listener a chance to hear Les Troyens as the work was performed in 1863, at the Théâtre-Lyrique, in which some intense chopping saw Acts I and II condensed into one part and Acts III to V into another, producing two distinct operas (La Prise de Troie and Les Troyens à Carthage). We also get a taste, naturally, of Berlioz's immensely rich orchestral innovations: with every new work, he would invent some exciting new prototype from scratch, never content to rest on his laurels. The listener should note the presence of six saxhorns, recently invented by Adolphe Sax (of whom Berlioz was an indefatigable champion, even if he didn't often use his instruments in his scores, no doubt because of the poor quality of the early instrumentalists who learned - however well or badly - Sax's instruments); bass clarinet, and an army of percussion pieces including several instruments which must have been rare in those days: crotales, goblet drums, tom-toms, thunder sheets... clearly, this is a milestone in the Berlioz discography. © SM/Qobuz

This project originated, Sabine Devieilhe says, from her desire to tackle Lakmé. In fact, Delibes was able to compose for her heroine some of the most memorable pages for coloratura soprano, starting with the hugely famous "air des clochettes" [Bell Song]. And as Western ears at the time were eager for musical and poetic voyages, and sensations from far-off lands, we find these same Oriental fantasies with Maurice Delage, who himself went on a grand tour of India, where he found modal colours, but also in Madame Chrysanthème by Messager or Rossignol by Stravinsky, to say nothing of the Egypt of Thaïs as portrayed by Anatole France and Massenet. Sabine Devieilhe, who won the "Lyrical revelation" prize at Victoires de la musique classique in 2013 before winning "Lyrical artist of the year" at the same ceremony – certainly not an unfair judgement of this particular artist – started her recording career with recordings of Rameau, Bach and Mozart, before launching into the lyrical repertoire from more recent years… And with great success! © SM/Qobuz

Since the advent of acid jazz in the mid-'80s, the many electronic-jazz hybrids to come down the pipe have steadily grown more mature, closer to a balanced fusion that borrows the spontaneity and emphasis on group interaction of classic jazz while still emphasizing the groove and elastic sound of electronic music. For his second album, French producer Ludovic Navarre expanded the possibilities of his template for jazzy house by recruiting a sextet of musicians to solo over his earthy productions. The opener "Rose Rouge" is an immediate highlight, as an understated Marlena Shaw vocal sample ("I want you to get together/put your hands together one time"), trance-state piano lines, and a ride-on-the-rhythm drum program frames solos by trumpeter Pascal Ohse and baritone Claudio de Qeiroz. For "Montego Bay Spleen," Navarre pairs an angular guitar solo by Ernest Ranglin with a deep-groove dub track, complete with phased effects and echoey percussion. "Land Of..." moves from a Hammond- and horn-led soul-jazz stomp into Caribbean territory, marked by more hints of dub and the expressive Latin percussion of Carneiro. Occasionally, Navarre's programming (sampled or otherwise) grows a bit repetitious -- even for dance fans, to say nothing of the jazzbo crowd attracted by the album's Blue Note tag. Though it is just another step on the way to a perfect blend of jazz and electronic, Tourist is an excellent one. © John Bush /TiVo

On 2012's Folila (which translates as "music" in Bambara), Mali's famed Amadou & Mariam, the husband-and-wife duo, effortlessly prove that "purist" alarm calls about melding popular and traditional musics across geographies because they dilute authenticity are not only inherently false, but their motivations are suspect. Amadou & Mariam originally cut twin albums -- same songs, tunings, and tempos -- one in New York with Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, Santigold, Theophilus London, members of TV on the Radio and Antibalas, the Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears, and Bertrand Cantat. The other was a Malian offering, cut in Bamako with master musicians, including Bassekou Kouyaté on ngoni, Zoumana Tereta on sokou, and Toumani Diabaté on kora, to name a few. A possibility presented itself when they took the completed sessions to producer Marc-Antoine Moreau in Paris. He was asked to try to bring the albums together. Moreau enlisted other producer/engineers -- Kennie Takahashi, Renaud Letang, Josh Grant, and Antoine Halet -- to assist. The end result is an organic-sounding masterpiece of cross-cultural collaboration, sung in three languages -- Bambara, French, and English (sometimes in the same song). Production magic aside, this project wouldn't have succeeded were it not for truly amazing songs (written by the duo) and inspired performances by all the musicians. "Dougou Badia" features crunchy guitar interplay between Amadou's instantly recognizable percussive style and Zinner's more rockist attack; it's fuel for a soaring duet between Mariam and Santigold. "Wily Kataso" features Amadou & Mariam with Kyp and Tunde from TV on the Radio on lead vocals; the meld of the two guitarists with Kouyaté's ngoni and the popping rhythm section is infectious. "Metemya" features Shears and Amadou's voices with the latter's knotty, raw guitar and Wurlitzer from Antibalas' Victor Axelrod amid layers of organic percussion. "Nebe Miri" features London rapping and singing in complement to Amadou's lead vocals, all drenched in a soulful meld of harmonies, three guitars, keyboards, and dundun drums. "C'est Pas Facile Pour les Aigles" is a rave-up that combines highlife, power pop, and Bo Diddley, and features Ebony Bones singing with Mariam. On "Sans Toi," Mali's traditional instruments such as sokou and kamale ngoni appear alongside guitar, piano, and the duo's hypnotic vocals. The haunting "Mogo" features bass clarinet, ngoni, djembe, dundun drums, and slide and rockist guitars and chants. "Chérie" is simply presented with Mariam above a Malian children's choir, with Diabaté's kora adding a carefree rural feel to close it. Forget prejudices about "world music"; Folila is great music. Period. © Thom Jurek /TiVo

Described as France's answer to Eminem, Normandy rapper Aurelien Cotentin, aka Orelsan, proved he was just as capable of creating controversy as his U.S. counterpart with the leaked track "Sale Pute," a misogynistic tale of domestic violence that had everyone from women's rights groups to the Culture Minister calling for his music to be banned. Perhaps burned by the hostile response, his second album, Le Chant des Sirènes, slightly tones down his venom-spitting persona in favor of a more mature and reflective approach that largely deals with the pressures of his notorious rise to fame. Despite this less vitriolic lyrical stance, the album's sound is still just as dark as 2009 debut Perdu d'Avance, as Skread's claustrophobic production shifts from industrial dubstep ("Raelsan," "Mauvaise Idée") to aggressive crunk (Gringe collaboration "Ils Sont Cools") to nocturnal Streets-esque suburban rap ("Finir Mal") throughout, while even its poppier moments such as the Timbaland-inspired title track, the clattering R&B of "Si Seul" (featuring a rare melodic lead vocal from Orelsan), and the low-key acoustic hip-pop of "La Morale" are laced with a sense of melancholy that suggests the past two years have hit the 29-year-old hard. Elsewhere, the authentic old-skool vinyl-scratching pastiche of "1990" and the bizarre fusion of twinkling music boxes, nursery rhyme melodies, and childlike vocals on "La Petite Marchande de Porte-Clefs" briefly lighten the mood, while there are flashes of his former self on his biting attack on Parisian society, "Suicide Social." But while Le Chant des Sirènes is unlikely to make as many headlines as his previous output, it's an inventive if admittedly downbeat progression suggesting that the enfant terrible of French rap might be growing up. © Jon O'Brien /TiVo

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As dance floor fodder goes, Cheese is definitely above average, adding a doze of elegance to the prerequisite "shake-yer-booty" simplistic sound. The music is built around staccato beats that are appropriately primitive, but not mindless, and keyboard lines that are just as sparse, but never lose the otherworldly quality expected of good techno, and come off more earnest than they were probably meant to be. Paul van Haver's vocals may seem to be contrasting the music -- his drawn-out, quiet and clearly enunciated half-whispers in places come close to a somewhat pompous sermon, but mostly sound like a dispassionate news report on some pretty hot things, though you won't know it from the anchor's tone. He is also pretty wordy, which gives the record a French rap vibe at times (though there is no actual rapping), but overall, his vocals help to ground in reality what otherwise would have been pretty abstract music. The whole affair is really quite plain songwriting-wise and doesn't sport any big hooks, but creates an authentic nighttime vibe, and while the music fades into background after a while, it remains fun every time you pay attention -- or catch yourself toe-tapping. The record's main hit, "Alors on danse," may even stir expectations of the album being something above a plain old dance record, but it does not really live up to those -- not because the rest of the music is not up to par, but because it sounds exactly like that one song, which, repeated eleven times over, tends to impress less than it does at three minutes. So, plain old dance record it is, but nobody said it's a bad thing. © Alexey Eremenko /TiVo

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Released in 2009, Izia is the self-titled debut album from the French singer/guitarist Izia, sister of Arthur H and daughter of Jacques Higelin. Co-written with Sebastien Hoog and Antoine Toustou, its 12 tracks fuse her Janis Joplin-esque vocals with a Nirvana/Led Zeppelin-influenced sound, and includes the singles "Lola" and "Back in Town." © Jon O'Brien /TiVo

Following his previous star-studded Adieu Tristesse, 2008 follow-up L'Homme du Monde is a much more personal effort from Parisian singer/pianist Arthur H. Featuring 13 self-penned tracks sung in both English and French, the Jean Massicotte-produced album eschews H's usual piano-led ambient jazz for a more energetic, guitar-based sound. With lyrics inspired by the birth of his son a year previouslyn and his relationship with his own father, Jacques Higelin, it also includes the single "Dancing with Madonna." © Jon O'Brien /TiVo

The Parisian duo Justice seem, for the most part, unfettered by niceties such as sonic subtlety or restraint. Combining French-touch house with large doses of heavy metal hedonism, the group's self-titled debut (aka Cross) privileges rock's devil-may-care mid-range thrash over electro's low-frequency thump. The album, in classic rave style, is all about colossal riffs. And Justice manages to pull out a corker of a pop-crossover hit with "D.A.N.C.E.," the album's first single. Instantly hummable, with its Sesame Street style singalong chorus, the song is an ebullient, slightly nostalgic nod to '80s electro-funk. Reminiscent of another act that ignited a youth culture revolution (Daft Punk), Justice seem intent on winning a new generation over with their head-banging house music. © Dave Shim /TiVo

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Emilie Simon's botanical-inspired 2006 release, Végétal, features the irresistibly catchy "Fleur de Saison," along with several other equally danceable tracks such as "Dame de Lotus" and "Never Fall in Love". Végétal differs drastically from the French singer's previous work, with a pop/rock vibe that may take fans of her earlier albums by surprise. The artist's soft candor is still present, however, and there is much to love among the album's 13 tracks. © Celeste Rhoads /TiVo

3 stars out of 5 -- "'Ilham' is a beguiling rhythm from the Maghreb mountains with more passionate singing than the tasteful mob can muster..." © TiVo

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Emilie Simon's botanical-inspired 2006 release, Végétal, features the irresistibly catchy "Fleur de Saison," along with several other equally danceable tracks such as "Dame de Lotus" and "Never Fall in Love". Végétal differs drastically from the French singer's previous work, with a pop/rock vibe that may take fans of her earlier albums by surprise. The artist's soft candor is still present, however, and there is much to love among the album's 13 tracks. © Celeste Rhoads /TiVo