With her second album, Caroline Moreau, a bohemian French chanteuse who’s made Dublin her home, offers Francophiles another delicious taste of the chanson tradition.
Amour Toujours etc has a distinctly maritime feel, with French folk songs and sea shanties nestling alongside classics by Jacque Brel, Serg Gainsbourg, Leo Ferré and Edith Piaf. Moreau breathes fresh energy into ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’, ‘Avec Le Temp’, ‘Johnny’, ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘Je Ne Regrette Rien’. The vocal and musical dexterity, as well as a gift for charismatic performance, gives her record a live feel, as she paces, diva-like, through a range of emotions and tempos, from deeply mournful and nostalgic to rousing and comical.
The exceptionally high-quality of the musical arrangements on Amour Toujours etc is a result of Moreau’s collaboration with Argentinian guitarist/arranger, Ariel Hernandez, who adds vocals to a particularly plaintive ‘O Que Sera’. Accordion, double-bass, cello, violin and percussion join Hernandez’s guitar to create a richly sensuous tapestry through which Moreau weaves her sultry voice. Fine stuff...

Key Track: 'Avec Le temps'