5.0 out of 5 stars
Great album no matter what, September 23, 2008
This review is from: Rouge Sang (Opd) (Audio CD)
The latest CD of old French warrior poet Renaud has met with mixed reviews in his homeland and was generally considered to be weaker than the previous one, his comeback album Boucan d'enfer. In a quarrel that sometimes seemed a sad caricature of the 'Dylan goes electric' controversy, he was accused of losing his lyrical edge, using too many loud guitars, and generally surrendering his originality.
I guess those critics must have heard a different album than I did.
Okay, so the hits of Boucan d'enfer (Docteur Renaud, Mister Renard; Petit Pédé and Manhattan-Kaboul) are not surpassed here, but as a whole, this Rouge Sang is probably more fun to listen to. And okay, Renaud has almost completely lost his voice by now, which is particularly noticeable in the slow songs, but then part of the attraction of Renaud has always been his 'different' singing style.
On top of this, a number of great additions are made to the rich Renaud universe (Les bobos, Ma Blonde, J'ai retrouvé mon flingue, Elle est facho, RS&RS, Nos vieux, Arręter la clope!..). His lyrics are still openly political, openly personal and full of funny or poetic observations. And while the guitar work is anything but revolutionary, it is catchy and highly enjoyable.
In conclusion, another recommended disk from one of the doyens of French rebellious singer-songwriters.
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