Customer Reviews

Chansons a Cappella

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

French-Canadian or Quebecois Celtic music needs no translation. These five men sing the chansons of old Quebec, some are round songs, some are heartfelt ballads, some are jolly tunes livened by exquisite footwork -- the only instrument the old fur trappers had to keep their spirits up during the long Canadian winter nights under the bright borealis. The album has a couple of arrangements of their own, but wholly in keeping with their heritage.

Quebecois celtic music is different from Irish whose mood is either very sorrowful and reflective or totally in a whirl. The songs sung by Les Chbonniers de L'Enfer are deep, vital and when love may go unrequited, the pace picks up again and like men of the woods, they push on.

I have been collecting Quebecois folk music for 6 years and this group and La Volee D'Castors (the Flying Beavers) are truly the best. The President of the Tadoussac Folk Festival -- a town that just celebrated its 400th year in 2004 -- told me about them when I was up visiting there last summer. The a capella singing on this album is rich, hearty, and, yes, ethereal.

The album comes with excellent liner notes and all the words to the songs. They are all in French, but consider that a treasure. The rhythms, moods and harmonies will tell you all you need to know. Enjoy!

Pour nous les Australians qui habitte Melbourne de l'Australie, c'est un meilleur introduction à la musique Qébecoise.

I love A Capella music and this group brings it to a high level. Without a word of French or the Quebecois dialect I still find myself singing along. Owning one of their albums is not enough. Get as many as you can and you won't be sorry!

I discovered this band at an interactive exhibit at the Canadian Cultural Center in Paris, France. It's one of those CDs that I could listen to on repeat ad nauseum, because the tunes are incredibly catchy and it's fun to try and decipher the words (if you're a French speaker and not used to Quebecois. It's great to know that it is now available on amazon.com; I believe I spent the extra shipping to order it off amazon.ca

I will definitely buy their other albums, and would try to see them perform in person one day...