Sylvie Vartan - Sylvie Vartan (1995)

Sylvie Vartan has a deep, very powerful voice, one of the best voices in contemporary music, which allows her to sing in many different styles. This CD contains French original beautiful ballads as Deux Mains, Par Amour Par Pitie, Un Enfant Sans Soleil, and some French versions of English songs which I enjoy very much: Donne Moi Ton Amour, a powerful version of Spencer Davies' Gimme Some Loving, Moi Je Dance (The Four Tops' Same Old Song) and other French versions of very well known Motown songs (Je N'Ai Pas Pus Resister - The Supremes' You Keep Me Hanging On ; Garde Moi Dans Ta Poche - The Four Tops' I Can't Help Myself), they are carefully produced and fully orchestrated. These facts, together with the charm of French language and the wonderful voice of Sylvie Vartan, make these catchy classic tunes sound specially attractive. Her approach is perhaps more pop than R&B, but she preserves the fresh freedom of the originals. Sylvie sounds completely R&B in a more recent CD ("Irresistiblement Sylvie"(1999)), in it she recorded in English a cover of Dusty Springfield 1969 (also 1994) smash hit Son Of A Preacher Man. Although I am generally more fond of uptempo songs, I must say that the last track Drole De Fille of "Sylvie Vartan-2'35 de Bonheur" is a very nice ballad, French version of Single Girl. The title track 2'35 De Bonheur, also a French original and a very sweet song, is very different from all the rest, with an air of old songs in The Mysstinguet style. The sound quality is excellent. It doesn't matter whether you understand French or not, you'll enjoy this CD.