Customer Reviews

Rose Kennedy

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

IF you love romantic, french spoken music, you'll love this. A beautifully well-written CD. I had to have it because we don't sell anything like this here in the US. I heard it at the Virgin Megastore in London. Wow...great CD.

This breathy, mellow, relaxing CD is perfect for an afternoon at the cafe, Sunday morning mood music, or a winter evening by the fire. Dreamy, romantic, with a tinge of his signature Gainsbourg-esque style, Biolay's voice is like a Frenchman's caress - sensual and inviting, yet confident and bold at the same time. You can definitely keep this on replay. "Les Roses et Les Promesses" evokes 60's and 70' style French classics, while "Sous le soleil du mois d'aout" has a contemporary acoustic mediterranean feel. "La Melodie du bonheur" is bluesy loungey. Using acoustic guitar, piano and very little else to embellish his lyrics and his voice, Biolay transports you to a faraway place where stress melts away replaced by a whispering silky solitude. This is one of the best French CD's in my collection.

Benjamin Biolay has constructed not only a memorable debut, but rather a truly remarkable album. "Rose Kennedy" waves a thick tapestry of beautiful melodies with countless references to the Kennedys and Marilyn Monroe. It's all done in quintessentially French taste, and this is why it succeeds.

Biolay has studied Gainsbough (i.e. "Histoire de Melody Nelson"); and he, too, makes apt use of the orchestra, particularly strings. Biolay also possesses a beautiful voice, which is not often the case with great writers.

The whole album is wonderful, but one of songs that stands out is the dreamy opening track, 'Novembre Toute l'Annee.' A great opener is a vital to introducing a great album, and this does the trick. Other standouts include 'La Monotonie,' 'Los Angeles,' and the title track. I suspect Biolay will be writing and performing intelligent and beautiful music for a long time.

When you like Nick Drake, Scott Walker or the first Colin Blunstone LP, and of course the work of master Serge Gainsbourg, then this is the man you are waiting for. A timless musicwork of great genius moments. The Brother of the french Bossa Nova singer Coralie Clement make a wonderfull debut in french music. No wonder that he was also in the working pogress of Henry Salvador's masterpiece: Chambre Avec Vue and the debut of french singer Keren Ann. Don't miss the new Remix EP of Bioly in France (4 Dez. 2001) from his debut. Get the chance to meet a exceptionnel musicman.

First of all, you must know that Marilyn Monroe features on this record in obscure soundbytes from some of her lesser known songs. Every so often, you will find her creeping up in the middle of a song; the music stops, and Marilyn takes over. Then the music takes over again in a sweeping crescendo reminiscent of a David Lynch production. To say that this album is `unique' would be a understatement. There has never been, and never will be an album like it. It perplexes me, confuses me, but I have always enjoyed it in the many years I've had a copy. In France, this often tops many `Best of All Time' lists, and while my praise for it cannot be that extravagant, I must say that I've never heard anything quite like this before.

Benjamin Biolay would go on to record many albums in his native France, but none would top the beauty of this debut album. As a `concept album', it recounts the life of the Kennedy clan through the medium of song, and takes you through their lives jointly - some of these pieces are experimental, but they are always lush and melodious. My personal favorite is the spectacular "Les Cerfs-Volants" (do try to find the video for this one - its an experience in itself). Slow burner of an opener "Novembre tout l'annee" is an accomplished musical achievement, but by the time the record winds down with the last song ("The last hour of the last day" - and no prizes for guessing what this ones all about), its interesting that the music never falters and never wanes.

If youre a French speaker, you will find the lyrics far more compelling than the music. Biolay is known as one of the few people who can stretch the French language to its' limits in terms of double entendres and linguistic poetry, but this is often considered his best work. Even if you don't speak the language, you can be assured that this is an album for keeps - an epic record that only gets better with time. Personally, I think Biolay only came into his own with his double-CD "Negatif", which is the one album I keep hoping will top the `Best Of' lists in France, but it never does. I guess it's the `Kennedy' connection that keeps getting this album all the attention, which is just as well.

"Rose Kennedy" is a French album that every self-respecting world music lover needs to have in their collection. Five Stars. Highly Recommended.

His breakthrough album, "Rose Kennedy", is a concept album about the Kennedy family - America's "royalty". However, one of Biolay's idols is Serge Gainsbourg, and this influence shows in the album.

The music is beautiful, melancholic, nostalgic. A trip worth making. The lyrics are absolutely beautiful too.

Keep an eye out for this promising young artists. If you like him, check out Serge Gainsbourg, Keren Ann, and Isabelle Boulay (Biolay produced some songs on her "Mieux qu'ici bas" album).

A Great French Album !!

I don't speak French but listen to some French Artists.

This a great album and I mean the whole album :)

Great song writing, arrangements, sounds and vocals.

Rhapsodic, lush, mysterious, sensual, moving..and that's only the description of the first song, "Novembre toute l'annee"! This remarkable man, Benjamin Biolay, has created one of the finest albums of French chansons, and he certainly deserves to be placed among the giants...Gainsbourg, Hardy, Ferre, Souchon, etc. He tips his hat to the Gainsbourg sound of the late 60's, but he isn't a copycat; he's truly original. Just one example of this album's brilliance is the ocurrance of the "leitmotif" introduced by the piano in the opening and recurring in various parts of the orchestrations in other songs such as "Soixante-douze trombones". I'm French, but you don't have to be in order to become enthralled and enveloped by this masterpiece. A MUST HAVE!!

Great album. He has a new one out (Fall 2007) -- Trash Yeye. It is terrific, too, if you like music of this genre - Gainsbough et al.There are several videos on YouTube of his performances.

Scott Walker, Serge Gainsbourg, The Tindersticks, Edwyn Collins.

A great lp. A great singer, a great 'concept'

www.benjaminbiolay.com