Customer Reviews

A Chacun Son Histoire

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Natasha St-Pier's major label debut is enough to spark an interest in the New Brunswick native's incredible talent, but poor production, instrumentation, and songwriting leave a lot to be desired.

Apart from the opening track, 'Je n'ai que mon âme,' (which won St-Pier 4th place in the Eurovision Song Contest) Italian songwriter Piero Cassano wrote the music for and produced the entire album. Cassano's songwriting is predictable, repetitive, and relies on the often redeeming work of the album's lyricists (St-Pier herself included) to carry his tired melodies. Recorded with plenty of cheap sounding synthesizers, clumsy and overdone reverb, and imposing background vocals, even Cassano's best efforts fall short of the mark.

Mostly, 'A chacun son histoire' just sounds old. Even at the time of its initial release in 2001, the soundscape painted here belonged to the late '80s and early '90s. Anyone familiar with Celine Dion's early works up through 1988's 'Incognito' is sure to draw sometimes uncomfortable comparisons. The album's third track in particular, 'Laisse-moi tout rêver,' could have been written by Eddy Marnay.

But 'A chacun son histoire' isn't all bad news either. The album's title track, as well as 'Près d'une autre,' 'Et la fille danse,' and 'Si jamais. . . ' are well crafted, beautifully performed tracks that preview the richness and quality present in St-Pier's three subsequent releases.

For her part, Natasha St-Pier gives a flawless performance. Perhaps it is harsh to reflect back on this album years later knowing how greatly the songwriting, instrumentation and production have improved in St-Pier's latter releases. In 2001, 'A chacun son histoire' introduced many to the clear, precise, and elegant voice of today's premier French language pop vocalist. But 'A chacun son histoire' has served its purpose, and with three other readily available offerings, St-Pier's first album can only appear lackluster and tired.

It is without doubt a very mature compilation of musical entertainment. In itself very similar to the album design, a slightly blacken tone, with a slow tempo. It gives room for emotional thought, and also relaxes the mind. The ideal showtime piece aliken to a broadway musical, or an evening dress only performance set in dance halls in the nineteen thirties.