Customer Reviews

Chante Piaf

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Name Mireille Mathieu mostly releases two reactions: total adoration or total ignoration. the latter because she often was regarded as a mere copy of E. Piaf. Despite the fact that she totally refused to sing Piaf songs at the beginning of her career which emphazises her uniquiness. Adoration because Mireille is a living Vulcano full of emotions and talent, which she always proves when on stage. She doesn't only have total comand over her powerful voice, (as many singers fail to have nowadays), but she also has a fantastic charisma, making her one of the most powerful singers ever ! France and the French song can be proud of such a cultural ambassador. Anyone who owns at least one CD of Mireille Mathieu will have an outstanding taste and collection.

I may be biased as Mireille is my favorite singer, but the power and emotion does these songs justice. You cannot miss with this album.

I love Mireille Mathieu, and I really like this collection. Although it includes a few songs that are not my personal favourites,I still cannot fault the disc, due to the other songs which more than make up for it. The love songs included in the selection are absolutely stunning. The beauty of the melody, the depth of the lyrics, Mireille Mathieu's splendid voice and her beautiful French make for a lovely combination.

A few words about two of my personal favourites: "Mon Dieu" is a touching and passionate plea to God to let her hold on to her beloved a while longer.

"L'hymne a l'amour" is a wonderful and powerful declaration of love, in which the woman asserts that whatever happens, she doesn't care as long as her beloved loves her back.


Most of the other songs are very well known classics which I'm sure need no introduction (please note that I'm not very knowledgeable about Edith Piaf, so I apologize in advance to fans who know more about her songs than myself).

All I can say is that I love this disc, that I've played it loads of times and still keep playing it, and that you're really missing out by not acquiring it. The songs are touchingly and passsionately performed, Mireille's voice is great, and you cannot fail to be emotionally affected, especially if you understand French. If not,I believe Mireille Mathieu can really make you wish to learn the language.

What a collection of songs! Mireille Mathieu gave this one the best of the best of her talent. I like the clarity of her voice. For those who are not very fluent in French, this cd is the one to listen to because all the words come out clear and one could feel the depth of the songs. Follow along as one listens to "La vie en rose", "Jezebel", and my favorite "Non, je ne regrette rien." When I listen to this cd I sit back to get everything out of the songs. What a collection of songs! Does music really elevate the soul as this collection does?

After purchasing and reviewing a more recent and decidedly inferior performance of Piaf (Raquel Bitton), I realized I hadn't contributed to this conversation.

It's true, Mireille tends to polarize people; I received a particularly nasty e-mail following my review of Ms. Bitton accusing Ms. Mathieu of being "merely a technician". What a technician!

Certainly Mireille Mathieu assumed the mantle of Piaf in the sixties after Piaf's death. This CD of Piaf songs was long overdue. She has a strength and a level of emotion in her voice that others haven't yet achieved.

Few of us want to hear an exact transcript of beloved performances by singers departed. We want to hear the spirit of the work continue. Ms. Mathieu accomplishes this in spades, without losing her own considerable identity.

I have been a fan of both Piaf and Mathieu for more than 30 years and this CD is a divine melding of the two.

I have purchased a dozen copies of this CD over the past few years to give to friends and associates curious about these two singers. Great for a gift or for yourself!

J'ai redécouvert Mireille Mathieu par l'intermédiaire de ce cd. Personne d'autre que Mireille Mathieu ne pouvait rendre un hommage aussi émouvant à Piaf.... La puissance, la richesse et la chaleur de sa voix remettent en valeur ces grands classiques de la chanson française. D'ailleurs, Mireille qu'on a souvent qualifié de copie de Piaf n'a pourtant rien à envier la môme... Je pense que je vais me lasser charmer par d'autres Album de Mireille... Je la connaissais mais je la méconnaissais. Bravo Mireille!

There is no doubt that Mireille Mathieu is one of the most versatile French performers ever. She's been seen as another Piaf for years, and that has affected her career sometimes positively and mostly negatively.
In this album, Mathieu sings some of the most famous Piaf songs. Let's not forget that this is Mireille singing . . . not Edith Piaf & the results are breathtaking. Yes, she does a [Heck] Of A Job!!!! Her own interpretations are spellbinding & Heavyweight.
A few people performed Piaf's songs with such elegant and power.
Strictly Recommended.

extremely beautiful, It's just sublime There is no doubt
that after Piaf only Mireille.

She brings such feeling with her songs and such a range in her voice, it is just great to listen to her and become inspired. One does not even have to understand the language to feel the power in her songs. I listened to her music many years ago on 33 1/3 records until I wore them out, and now it is so nice to be able to purchase them on CDs and listen once again to Mireille.

I absolutely adore the work of Mireille Mathieu, I own several of her albums. But the least played in our house is this one; least played by far. The French decided decades ago that Mireille was Edith reincarnate and that has apparently haunted her career. I've read that after nearly thirty years she relented and did this Piaf album, and she proved she was right all along - this music belongs to only Edith.

Three stars here because Mathieu puts her own mark on several songs and they stand well, especially "Mon manege a moi" - and she does well with "La vie en rose". But on too many songs she seems almost self-conscious, her usual enthusiasm vanishes. She sings the words but her heart doesn't seem to be in it; Especially on "Mon Dieu" and on one of Piaf's signature songs, "Non, je ne regrette rien".

If you are lucky enough to own her "Embrujo" album try listening to the wonderful "L'hymne a l'amour" on this album and then on "Embrujo", which is in Spanish. Her effort in Spanish is so much more free, effortless, and beautiful - it's her, not Piaf, and it works.

Finally, the choice of a few of the songs leaves me bewildered. If I were trimming the work of Edith Piaf to thirteen songs I don't think I'd include "Exodus", it's not really Edith's song. And why on earth did they include the silly novelty motorcycle song, "The Terror of Highway 101" translated to French? It's like honoring Sinatra with "Old MacDonald". My Goodness.

Anyhow, Mireille will remain my favorite singer alive today. And Edith will remain my favorite in the history of mankind. And never the twain shall meet.