Paris

Product Description

Very traditional in its sound, chanson was rediscovered and revamped in the late 50s and early 60s before it once again became passé with younger audiences, who embraced rock and pop as the sound of their generation. Now, forty years later, a new school of musicians has given a fresh voice to this vintage sound, creating the nouvelle scène (new scene) that is all the rage in Paris. Putumayo Presents Paris is an introduction to a vibrant group of artists out to prove that this is not your grandmas chanson. Paris makes the perfect companion piece to the hugely successful French Café.

Time races on, and a new generation of musicians set the stage for the future by looking to the past. Putumayo invites you to experience this new wave of classic music.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this CD will be donated to Terre des Hommes in support of their efforts to provide active support to disadvantaged children around the world.

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Many Putumayo compilations fail to capture the essence of a specific region by focusing on music that is simply too polite for its own good. When it comes to the languid charms of French chanson, however, the label has always excelled. An indispensable companion to the previously released French Café Paris focuses on the renaissance of French popular music in the hands of artists such as the ra voiced Thomas Fersen, supermodel-turned-songwriter Carla Bruni and the ineffable Paris Combo-- arguably, the one group that started the smoky cabaret song revival in the mid-'90s. An air of luxury and languor defines the 12 tracks here, from the breezy bossa nova of Coralie Clément's "Samba de Mon Coeur Qui Bat" ("Samba of my Beating Heart") to the accordion laced atmospherics of Amelie-Les-Crayons and the wistful "Ta P'tite Flamme" ("Your Little Flame"). Judging by this disc, contemporary French pop may very well be one of the most exciting musical movements in the world right now. --Ernesto Lechner