Voila [LIMITED EDITION]

Belinda Carlisle

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 6, 2007)
• Original Release Date: February 6, 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition
• Label: Rykodisc
• ASIN: B000LE1FAY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #82,664 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Taking a page from the Marianne Faithfull playbook, Belinda Carlisle exchanges exuberance for sophistication on Voilà. Sung entirely in French, Carlisle's first CD in a decade celebrates the sturdy song form known as chanson. From the legendary Edith Piaf ("La Vie En Rose") to '60s songbird François Hardy ("Ma Jeunesse Fout Le Camp") to playful provocateur Serge Gainsbourg ("Contact"), Carlisle tackles 11 favorites. If Faithfull's Strange Weather, a torched-up collection of covers, makes perfect sense in retrospect, Voilà also seems like a natural progression for Carlisle, though some Go-Go's devotees may be startled by the departure. More surprising than her accent, which is actually quite good, are the arrangements, like Gainsbourg's "Bonnie et Clyde" reinvented as echoey electronica or Hardy's "Pourtant Tu M'aimes" as hard-driving pop. Carlisle's versatile collaborators include Brian Eno (keyboards), Natacha Atlas (vocals), and Fianchna O'Braonain (guitar, vocals) from the Hothouse Flowers. Traditionalists may balk at the Irish and Middle Eastern touches, but Carlisle's genuine affection for the material should win over most skeptics. Her distinctive vibrato, particularly on Jacques Brel's heartbreaking "Ne Me Quitte Pas" ("If You Go Away") and Charles Aznavour's flamenco-flavored "Jezebel," has never sounded quite so full and throaty. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description
Belinda Carlisle's "Voila," her first new album in a decade, and her first sung entirely in French, is a radical departure for the pop diva and leader of the Go-Gos. Carlisle has fashioned an album that pays tribute to classic French songs of the `40s, `50s and `60s and proves good songs are universal and need no translation to work their exhilarating magic.

"Voila" contains a bonus disc with English versions of four tracks from the album. Bonus tracks include "I Still Love Him," "La Vie en Rose," "Bonnie and Clyde" and "If You Go Away."

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tres magnifique!!, February 7, 2007

By	Ben Glenn (The nation's capital) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For those who think Belinda Carlisle's career peaked with "Heaven Is a Place on Earth," (her subsequent, brilliant albums woefully overlooked in the U.S.) with VOILA, they've got an earth-shattering surprise of the most delightful kind in store. Those of us who've heard Belinda Carlisle perform live know that she is the real deal -- a genuine talent with a fantastic range and charisma to spare -- and VOILA finds her attaining an entirely new level of achievement that's genuinely thrilling. You've got to admire an artist who challenges herself with a project like this...and hits it "out of the ballpark." While the material is classic, here it is never derivative and often very surprising, with adventurous instrumentation, arrangements, production and, of course, Carlisle's flawless singing.

VOILA is Belinda Carlisle's "tour de force." Don't miss it!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ooh La La, February 8, 2007

By	KEEPitREAL (LA) - See all my reviews

Belinda Carlisle takes an ooh la la stance on affairs of the heart with this highly-anticipated release. Heavenly and hook-laden in the 80's, Belinda sheds her polished Regan-era image for French street cred and the result is an eclectic array of songs dealing with such timeless themes heartache, lust, and of course, love.

Sharpening her teeth on the French language, Belinda places an erratic spin on such themes by feeding off a number of musical genres for this release including folk, dance, and electronic indie numbers. "Bonnie Et Clyde" sounds fitting for an obscure French spy movie, while "Ma Jeunesse Fout Le Camp" aches with Belinda's pitch-perfect wail in the background, fitting for a French-Middle Eastern fusion. Entering campy territory with "Contact", listeners will quickly note a Belinda left uncovered in the past: a woman on the verge of taking a risk.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tres Magnifique!!!, February 13, 2007

By	A. Rodriguez "POP LOVER" (Chicago) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been waiting a long time for a new Cd since Belinda's-A Woman And A Man, constantly checking on Amazon to see if she was coming out with anything new.

Well let me tell you I was like a kid on Christmas morning squealing with delight when I saw she was coming out with a new CD...and I nearly fell out of my chair when I found out it was entirely in French...sheer bliss!!

Could one of the most Beautiful voices on Earth be singing in one of the most beautiful languages...a dream come true for me!! I have always been a big fan of Belinda's and I'm a lover of French pop music such as Mylene Farmer,Mitsou,Alizee,Coralie Clement,Zazie and now Belinda, so needless to say this is a marriage made in Heaven!

Her vocals have always had such a sweet vibration so unique and glorious,listening to her sing gives me goosebumps.I'm sure other of her fans would agree.

Voila Takes a hold of you and doesn't let go, all of the songs are sung with such emotion that a couple of them even brought me to tears.

Merci Belinda for this precious gift you have given me and the world.