Sylvie Vartan - Irrésistiblement 1965-1968 (2009)

×

Sylvie Vartan - Irrésistiblement 1965-1968 (2009)

Close

Fans of French pop of the 1960s need to get this collection, no questions asked. Sylvie Vartan may not have the hipster cred that Françoise Hardy or France Gall each have, possibly because she never crossed over to the U.K. and U.S. like Hardy did or never worked with Serge Gainsbourg like Gall. She also suffers a little by having a long career that lasted through the '70s and '80s, and fell prey to many of the cheesier aspects of those decades. Irresistiblement: Sylvie Vartan 1965-1968 shows that Vartan was equal, if not superior, to any French singer of the '60s. During this period of her career, she was recording covers of U.S. and U.K. hits, but this collection focuses on songs written expressly for Vartan. It also chooses songs and recorded mostly in the U.K. because, as Vartan says in the liner notes, they couldn't get a rocking sound using French musicians. Often, too, the guys writing the songs were from the U.K., namely Mick Jones (who later formed Foreigner) and Tommy Brown. These two were in French icon Johnny Hallyday's band and since he was married to Vartan at the time it was a no-brainer to have them write for her. All these factors lined up to produce some wonderful music. Whether tackling rockers like "It's Not a Game" or "C'est a Duex Pas," dramatic ballads like "Ballade Pour Un Sourire" or girl group swingers like "Gonna Cry," Vartan's soulful, powerful vocals never falter. Maybe that's why she never gets the cred, she can actually sing. Hearing her rip through the Baroque, proto-psych "La Chanson" or the chunky, string heavy "Dis Moi Que Tu M'aimes" is a revelation, the way she tenderly caresses the slow songs like "I Made My Choice" calls to mind a less nimble but still great Dusty Springfield. If you've never dipped into Vartan's recordings or couldn't find one that stripped away the filler and got right down to the gems, this is the best place to start. One listen and she may climb right to the top of your list of French songbirds of the '60s.

×

Sylvie Vartan - Irrésistiblement 1965-1968 (2009)

Close