Ginette Reno - La musique en moi (2011)

She's been recording for over 40 years, but Ginette Reno is an unstoppable force in Québecois music. La Musique en Moi shows her in a more contemporary light, as a standard-bearing diva standing over the contemporary music scene. Her sound is particularly emphatic, dramatic, and fitting for a grandiose telling of her musical story. At times, the sound seems a bit too dramatic as she overpowers the song itself with her overwhelming presence. That is the theme of the album, however -- the music is in her, and it's the music within that she's revealing to the world. The songs are somewhat dated in their arrangements, but that fits with her long singing history. La Musique en Moi does a good job of packing nostalgia for Reno's lore along with her formidable singing power -- it's not revolutionary by any means, but it doesn't intend to be. It's powerful and comfortable instead, a rare combination.