Cuisine Non-Stop: Introduction to the French Nouvelle Generation [IMPORT]

Various Artists (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 17, 2002)
• Original Release Date: September 17, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Europe Generic
• ASIN: B00006596Q
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #302,708 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
French rock & roll is a sketchy proposition, and not just because of a language barrier. But the Luaka Bop folks are on to something here, tracking a nonrock, underground musical movement whose elements have little in common beyond the fact that 11 featured bands update such French folk music influences as musette, chansons, and the realist singers of the '30s and '40s, as well as figures like Jacque Brel and Serge Gainsbourg. The results are all over the map, from the rap-cabaret of Java to the French-African-leaning multiculturalism of Lo' Jo to the Tom Waits-like Arthur H. Not much in the way of electric instruments, though there is a dark, trip-hop bent to Mickey 3D and Arthur H. No translation is needed to pick up on what fun these bands are having, but someone's going to have to explain the recurring references to farm animals. --Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All I can say is "WOW!" This cd whacked me on the head!, September 17, 2002

By	Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

I haven't plunked a CD into my player and and gotten so excited for quite a while. I am absolutely bowled over by "Cuisine Non-Stop."

I like street music, especially from Europe and Africa. This CD mines the relatively unknown but incredibly rich treasures of French "Neo-Realism." This is a strange but addictive blend of the French tradition of street and cabaret singing of Piaf, Brel, non-sterotypical French accordian, plus ethnic sounds from Africa, Russia, Romany Gypsies, Algeria, Morocco, and more. It's hard to describe here, but the first cut on the album is one of the best, and it is a great example of cross-cultural fertilization that produces a new breed in pop music.

I haven't been this excited about a CD since I got a copy of "Lost Souls" by Spaccanapoli--a band that plays Neapolitan street-inspired music. They are very hot on the Euro-festival circuit. If you like Spaccanapoli, or enjoyed the music in films like "Amelie", you will love the mix on "Cuisine Non-Stop."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A glimpse inside the world of modern French pop, December 17, 2002

By	Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

David Byrne's far-reaching Luaka Bop label has finally made it to the Gallic territories, with this loopy set of kooky, postmodern cabaret tunes, a quirky update of the Parisian cafe music of the 1930s. The album opens with the crosscultural acoustic world-jazz of Lo'Jo, and moves into a succession of likeminded contemporaries... The spirits of Tom Waits, Serge Gainsbourg, Edith Piaf and Charles Trenet happily hover over this collection, which provides a welcome alternative to the more staid tradition of French pop vocals. A set like this bodes well: I hope Byrne & Co. have a volume or two of other French material on tap -- samplers of great indie rock by the likes of Francoiz Breut, Katarine and Etienne Charry would also be welcome, as well as a look at modern French hip-hop and electronica. Oui!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Word and The WORD is Very Good!, February 7, 2003

By A Customer

What can I really say? Simply that Cuisine Non-Stop deserves a very good word. I've listened to Lo'Jo for some time, and am more than happy to say that the rest of the contributions will prove exceedingly pleasing to Lo'Jo listeners, though this is not a compilation of Lo'Jo ripoffs. The selections are all fine, nuanced amalgamations of tradition, street, and ethnic influences. The marketing of Cuisine Non-Stop claims that it's an exploration of "France's newest music scene." In general, it is music inspired by Piaf and company but turned on its head. Interestingly, it's an amalgamation of music styles that has occurred over the past ten years without much of the major French recording industry taking notice, as it maintained its steadfast Nashville approach of pushing forth generic [stuff]. Well, it can ignore these bands anymore. Finally, even if you're not a David Byrne fan, don't be put off by the statement that the collection was put together by David Byrne. This stuff is fresh and worthy of a serious listen.