Customer Reviews

Chanson: Amanda Mcbroom Sings Jacques Brel (Dig)

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I am a great admirer of Jacques Brel and a huge fan of the amazing Amanda McBroom so have been eagerly awaiting this CD with its perfect marriage of talent and artistry: and it does not disappoint!

Everything about this collection is amazing. The individual arrangements enhance the music and provide the perfect support for Ms McBroom's pure voice and impeccable delivery. This is quality through and through. There are some very familiar songs here and some that I have not heard in English before but each song somehow sounds newly minted and you are drawn into the poetry and stories, hearing so much as if for the very first time. Such is the consummate skill of this lady who has the ability to awaken memories and emotions in all of us.
The track listing:
Girl In An Armchair ("L'Ostendaise")
Early Morning Hangers On ("Les Paumes Du Petit Matin")
Song For Old Lovers ("La Chanson Des Vieux Amants")
I Loved ("Je T'Aime")
My Death ("La Mort")
Carousel ("La Valse A Mille Temps")
Ne Me Quitte Pas (1959)
You Don't Forget The Past( "On N'Oublie Rien ")
No Love ("Jef" )
Ca Va ("Le Diable")
Marieke
If We Only Have Love ("Quand On N'A Que L'Amour")

Every lover of Brel should have this in their collection: every lover of Ms McBroom needs to own this and for those who have yet to discover either of these huge talents here is the perfect place to begin.

I know many of these Jacques Brel songs very well, but the sophisticated, musically varied arrangements and Amanda McBroom's intelligent, passionate performance makes them feel absolutely fresh and new. Brel's distinctive musical voice is still apparent in the recordings, but the melding of his songs with jazz, world music and various theatrical styles allows us to hear them as though they've been penned yesterday, and his stories, with big, impassioned political and personal themes, are as relevant as ever. McBroom's voice is chameleon-like, able to give us quiet, sensitive portraits as well as gutsy, broad satire, and there is an honesty in her performance that is utterly disarming. The arrangements by Michele Brourman are a revelation.

The two previous reviewers have elegantly stated exactly what I feel about this phenomenal work. If possible the listening experience should replicate a cabaret setting as closely as possible: a darkened room, a glass of wine, maybe a fire in the fire place, and shared with good friends. This is not an album that should be loaded on an iPod and played while running errands or going to the gym, this is a piece of work that needs to be savored and absorbed.

Chanson features Golden Globe winner Amanda McBroom singing twelve tracks of Jacques Brel songs skilfully arranged by Stefan Oberhaff and Michele Brourman. They've given the songs a modern, yet timeless touch. Ca Va, one of Brel's early war protest songs, has an outstanding, dramatic, Middle Eastern flavour, perfect for our times. Oberhaff and Brourman played many of the instruments featured in the recording but significant contributions have been made by other musicians including flugelhorn by Oscar winning Mark Isham. Amanda's voice and Isham's horn on If We Only Have Love combine to produce a song of haunting quality. Overall, this is music not to be missed. It travels straight to the heart and captures the essence of Brel. McBoom has spent much of her professional life on stage singing Brel. Her knowledge and love of Brel's music shines through on this CD. She's at the top of her game and gives listeners something to be enjoyed for a long, long time.

I recently interviewed Amanda McBroom specifically featuring Chanson. We played five tracks from the CD and the entire interview can be heard on [...]. Just google Voices from the North (that's the name of the show) and my name. You'll find it.

John Haines
Author of In Search of Simplicity: A True Story that Changes Lives

Is a wonderful CD with delightful material. Ms. McBroom is terrific. The album is truely amazing. She is a wonderful cabaret artist.