Customer Reviews

J'Ai Deux Amours

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Year in and year out, Dee Dee Bridgewater is named as one of the top singers in both critics' and readers' Down Beat polls. Considering that she was a French denizen for some time (nearly 20 years) and records very seldomly (last American recording: 1998), and considering all of the enormously talented young chanteusses out there, that's pretty remarkable.

But with the status of being a living legend, comes responsibility. You do have to knock out a recording once in awhile that secures your status. And that's exactly what Ms. Bridgewater does here. This album is fabulous, and is one of the best of 2005. I adore this album!

The album is sung primarily in French, although on a few standards, Ms. Bridgewater favors us unilinguists with the English "translation" in the second verse, such as "Mon Homme" ("My Man"), La Mer ("Beyond the Sea"), "Dansez Sur Moi" ("Girl Talk") and "La Belle Vie" ("The Good Life"). I'd swear that I heard "What Now My Love", "I Wish You Love" and "Autumn Leaves" without translations, however.

What makes this c.d. so special, IMO, is the flexibility in Ms. Bridgewater's approach. She sings "J'ai Duex Amours" seductively and coquettishly; "My Man" with a strong calypso beat; and "Girl Talk" as a strong, shouting funk. Then she does "La Belle Vie", starting with breathless seduction and morphing into strong, solid cabaret-style lines.

And my favorite on this c.d. is her unique take on "La Vie en Rose." The c.d. features accordion, thus adding to the European flavor of the standards. On this one, though, with just the accordion the song takes on its usual dreamy flair; but with the strong African beat of the drums, the tune takes on almost a schizoid feel. Ms. Bridgewater negotiates the gap between the two grooves, and makes it work.

This c.d. is worthy of high five stars any year. For 2005, it is one of the best of the year. RC

p.s. (2-17-07)--Since writing this, the knocks I've read on this c.d. is on Ms. Bridgewater's French pronunciations. One amateur critic labelled them as "awful." That may be true; as I noted on my later review of Anne Duclos' "Piano Piano", it is extremely difficult to be flawlessly bilingual in English and French because the vowel sounds are so different in the two languages. But insofar as I'm concerned, I don't care. Ms. Bridgewater could be singing this c.d. in a broken Slavic language, and the emotion would move me nonetheless. RC

I purchased this CD this weekend and have been unable to stop playing it. I bought the CD based on Josephine Baker's rendition of J'ai Deux Amours. Ms. Bridgewater takes the song to another level. She puts her signature on every song and her voice is exquisite.

The package lets you know right away that you are getting a beautiful cd. The music is fantastic. The French/English lyrics are terrific. This is a stellar album from a truly gifted artist.

Although a first class performer and one of the best jazz singer alive, Dee Dee Bridgewater should stay away from the great french evergreens. If one still remembers the immortal versions of Edith Piaf and other famous singers, this cd is a nonsense. I was therefore not going to attend her live performance in Trieste, my home town, but I fortunately changed my mind. Bridgewater is such a wonderful performer that all the cd's faults seemed to disappear. But on stage she left much more space for the wonderful musicians that back her: alas, they do not have enough performing time on the cd.

"This album is my way of thanking France, a country that opened its arms to me. My time in this country has been one of healing, growth as a woman and artist, and a discovery of the rest of the world." ~ Dee Dee Bridgewater ~

First off, I would like to thank an Amazon friend and a remarkable reviewer for recommending this lovely CD, "J'ai Deux Amours" by Dee Dee Bridgewater. I greatly enjoyed listening to it in its entirety with a few repeats when I first listened to it. Merci Beaucoup, Monsieur!

Now, how do I love this CD? Let me count the ways . . . (with apologies to my favorite poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning).

Firstly, the inclusion of my all-time favorite "La Vie En Rose" sung in French. It reminds me of another great version that I adore - Grace Jones from the CD Island Life." From the 57 seconds intro showcasing layers and layers of harmonic sophistication to the very last notes of exotic rhythms, this version is one of the most beautiful ever recorded. It evokes a funky and playful jazz spirit.

Secondly, Ms. Bridgewater has an incredible vocal prowess as evident in her enchanting and absolutely breathtaking take on "La Belle Vie" sung in both French and English lyrics with pillowy arrangement. It has the sweetest and most powerful guitar work I have ever heard.

Thirdly, I'm totally smitten with "La Mer," which has the most charming Latin-flavored arrangement that presents a cool and marvelous listening delight with its French and English lyrics. You can hear the fabulous rumbles of percussions, accordion, drums and jazz guitar making the sound so infectiously fascinating.

Fourthly, some of the best tracks that deserve special mention are her gorgeous renditions of "Que Reste-t Il De Nos Amour" and "Les Feuilles Mortes." They evoke warm and sentimental feeling that goes straight to your heart and soul.

Fifthly, the musicianship is excellent! You can hear those commanding chops on accordion by Marc Berthoumieux, drums and percussions by Minimo Garay, guitar by Louis Winsberg, bass by Ira Coleman, and guest guitarist Patrick Manougian on tracks nine and ten.

Lastly, since this is my very first Dee Dee Bridgewater CD, listening to it is like unwrapping a Christmas present. You never really know what to expect. The novelty will never wear off. I would certainly check out her other recordings. She's now in my list of all-time favorite jazz singers.

Thanks to Ms. Bridgewater and her crew of talented musicians for a fine and lovely CD!

Totalement recommandé!

Very few times you come across w/a production this amazing. Progressive jazz and ecelectic sounds from all over the world are the perfect combination for Ms Bridgewater's sultry voice.

French classics never sounded this good!

The arrangements are so wonderful! Dee Dee is a gem and I hope to hear more and more of her. I love the french versions to so many classic standards... it was fun to try and figure out what the song was from the tune, when I first played the CD. You'll recognize so many, but when sung in french it's a little more difficult to figure out where you have heard it before.... highly, highly recommend!

Let me start by making it clear that I like Dee Dee Bridgewater and appreciate her talent as a singer. I have been a fan since her recordings back in the early 90s.

I am also a big fan of many of the legendary French singers and the "French Songbook" of standards. I actually missed this release by Dee Dee when it came out, but spotted it recently while browsing a local music shop. I picked it up straight away and anticipated listening to it with great expectations!

I have to say that I was highly underwhelmed by the recording. I'm actually surprised to read in other reviews here that she lived in France for 20 plus years since one of the things I couldn't get by was what I though was a really horrible singing style with the French language. It just made me want to cringe!

Anyway, bottom line: Dee Dee Good, Dee Dee singing in French, not so much!

I happen to have heard this CD featured on a particular website and I fell in love with it. It really takes me away. Its seductive and fun. I don't speak french too well but the way Dee Dee sings the songs allows to me create a clear vision of what is going on. My favorites are Mon Homme, Et Maintenant and Dansez Sur Moi. This CD will definitely last the test of time.

This is my favorite Dee Dee Bridgewater CD so far. And that says a lot. Her work has always been spectacularly on point and joyously charming. But this album is by far her most exuberant--her love for French music is ever-present and her respect for the language of love and the culture is palpable.

Sure, her french pronunciation may not be perfect (what American's is?), but her love for the language and her desire to express it are clear from the first note to the end.

My favorite tracks are the title track, "J'ai Deux Amours", "Mon Homme/My Man" and "Et Maintenant". She brings an infectious and varied interpretation to all the tracks, alternating from coquettish to serious, from heartbreak to happiness and beyond. She is backed by stellar musicians that bring a true jazz-french blend to the album.

I first bought this CD in 2005, right before I went on a 2 week trip to Paris and just a few years after seeing Miss Bridgewater perform some of these songs live (for the first time) at the Kennedy Center as part of a French celebration there. As fantastic as this album is, there's still more to Miss Bridgewater to be appreciated LIVE, where she truly commands the stage and entices even the quietest audience member to hoot and holla for her. I don't think there is a better American female jazz vocalist alive today, at least not one that can navigate such a range of styles in one CD/concert.