M & J [Import]

Vanessa Paradis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 15, 1988)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Barclay
• ASIN: B0000072SC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #275,407 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

1987 debut album for baby voiced French chanteuse. Includes the hit 'Joe Le Taxi'.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a product of cookie-cutter marketing, Paradis is my favorite singer/actress, January 20, 2006

By 

Darren Harrison "DVD collector and reviewer" (Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: M & J (Audio CD)

The late 1980s saw another trio of young female singers dominate the European charts. Yes almost two decades ago and long before Spears, Duff and Lohan the pop charts were dominated by Debbie Gibson, Tiffany and ... Paradis.
I grew up in the United Kingdom where French music gets a little more airplay than it seems to in the United States. So whereas people in the U.S. had the (apparently nonexistent) rivarly between Debbie and Tiffany as a hot topic in 1987, for those of us in Europe and Canada another female singer was the hot topic among schoolboys everywhere - Vanessa Paradis.
I first saw Vanessa perform on the now-defunct British show "The Roxy" in 1987 (think a more raunchier European version of `American Bandstand'). Here was this incredible looking (and very young) girl singing the song "Joe Le Taxi" on a stage alongside a full-size real yellow taxi cab. I was so entranced by her striking looks that it was only later that I heard the song.
Since that fateful night I have collected everything I could get my hands on connected to this French singer/actress (who is perhaps best known in the US more for her relationship with Johnny Depp rather than her career). From this album to her movies like "Noce Blanche" and "Une Chance Sur Deux" she has developed a large following and it's easy to see why.
Some criticize the tracks on this album as sounding child-like, but what do they expect? Vanessa was 14 when she sang "Joe le Taxi," certainly she deserves credit for not falling into the cookie-cutter marketing product trap that her contemporary Tiffany fell into. Over the years she has shown that she is willing to take some risks. And after all the venom that was slung her way by female admirers of Johnny Depp, jealous that she was his partner, she has maintained a mature posture that underlies the fact that she is more than just a pretty face.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Start, October 30, 2002

By 

WnB "wbhm" (Laguna Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: M & J (Audio CD)

This is the first Paradis album and it's great. A beautiful recording that you can't help but play over and over. Amazingly though, her voice has grown so much over time that it sounds almost weak here-still very good but not the fearless confidence she belts out with today. Here is a girl with a gifted voice, not the powerhouse that makes her one of the greatest pop singers of all time. It's still a great listen though and a must for any fan. If you don't speak French-don't worry, all her work transcends the language barrier.
Wes

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Her first, not *quite* the best, but still excellent!, July 28, 2000

By 

"paradisvp" (York, North Yorkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: M & J (Audio CD)

The one song everyone must know from this album is the international hit "Joe Le Taxi" which still rocks nearly 15 years (can it be that long) since its recording. The other songs on the album are just as catchy (and no, it really doesn't matter if you don't understand French - besides, there is *one* English language song at the end). They range from slow songs ("Le Bon Dieu est un Marin") to the more upbeat like "Coupe Coupe". Vanessa's voice brings a life to the songs which certainly made the previously mentioned "Joe Le Taxi" such a hit. In comparison to her subsequent albums ("Variations sur le meme t'aime," for instance, or her Live album), this naturally pales, but as a debut, it still impresses.

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