Zaz - Zaz

Zaz - Zaz
2010, SIN

Zaz (née Isabelle Geffroy) has taken Europe by storm with her combination of jazz and modern Chanson.  The Francophile singer/songwriter earned Platinum certification in her native France, and Platinum certification in Belgium, Switzerland and Poland for her debut album, Zaz.  In 2011, Zaz sets her sights on America, a more challenging prospect considering all the songs on Zaz are sung solely in French.  A listen to her husky, dramatic alto will convince you, however; Zaz is her to stay.

Zaz opens with "Les Passants", presenting a stirring contrast between Zaz' intriguing, edgy voice and the almost lazy swing of the arrangement.  The vocal harmonies here are a pleasure to the ear; the instrumentalists top notch.  "Je Veux", the first single is a catchy number, with Zaz sounding like a cross between Fiona Apple and Jeneen Terrana.  This song spent nine weeks at #1 on the French SNEP charts, and it's easy to see why.  "Le Long De La Route" is driven alt-folk with a great melody that gets stuck in your noggin even if the lyrics are incomprehensible to you.  "La Fée" sounds eerily familiar, as if elements of America's "Sister Golden Hair" got caught in a time warp and ended up here.  The arrangement is lovely and haunting, with Zaz keeping the vocals low key in a fetching effort.

Zaz gets conversational on "Trop Sensible", which might work better for those fluent in French.  There's not a lot of spark in this one, however, regardless your primary tongue.  Zaz turns things around with "Prends Garde A Ta Langue", an incredibly catchy bit of soulful swing with hints of a big band sound.  The melody line here is absolutely infectious, and is wrapped up in an arrangement that fits it like a glove.  On "Ni Oui Ni Non", Zaz blends jazz and rockabilly in intriguing fashion, creating a song so virulently the catch the CCD might need to be dispatched.  Zaz' voice completes the intrigue, filling up with empty spaces within the arrangement with a sound so wonderfully nuanced and warm you might forget where you are for a moment.

"Port Colton" is a song of contrasts, exploring regret and sorrow in Zaz' wonderfully warm voice against the backdrop of an emotionally bleak arrangement.  Somewhere in the middle Zaz finds the beauty of human heartache, and compels the listener to feel, believe and understand the moment.  "J'aime A Nouveau" lightens the mood, a love song with a lighter feel and a swaying melody that says everything will be all right.  "Dans Ma Rue" is more of a jazz recitative, showing off Zaz' exemplary sense of melody and pacing in song.  Zaz closes out with a different sound on "Eblouie Par La Nuit", taking a foray into classic rock sound and expanding her vocal range in the process.  It's a very successful diversion that perhaps speaks of directions to come.

Listening to Zaz is something of a revelation.  The language barrier will likely be a difficult one to cross in the US, but Zaz' voice, penchant for British style melody and the quality of her songwriting might just make it work.  Zaz will certainly catch on in Canada, and an album of like quality recorded in English might just find Zaz conquering the US charts in time as well.  It's unfortunate that the U.S. tends to be somewhat closed to foreign language artists, because Zaz is a great album, pure and simple.  It certainly deserves to be a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Zaz at www.zazofficial.com or www.myspace.com/zazofficiel.  Zaz is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.

Jeneen Terrana - See The Light

Jeneen Terrana – See The Light
2011, Bitesized Records

Jeneen Terrana is an integral part of the Long Island City, NY music scene.  A distinctive songwriter with flair, Terrana has been comfortable with her local status but has the talent to play much larger stages.  Terrana debuted in 2002 with Just Me, a highly personal collection of originals that showed a raw talent just beginning to come into its own.  Terrana’s 2008 follow-up effort, My Creation, featured the inspired instrumental work of The Howl Brothers, and won critical acclaim from multiple outlets, including being branded a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.  Terrana returns in 2011 with See The Light, a more mature and airy effort than her previous two albums.

See The Light opens with “Benny’s In My Head”, a folk ballad with a soulful slant.  This is Terrana’s internal dialogue over the battle between heart and mind when finding herself suddenly in the midst of love.  This is a great piece of songwriting; Terrana has crafted a great arrangement that stays enough in the background to allow the story of the song to play out unfettered.  “I Laid It On Him” is a foxy bit of urban gospel blending jazz with a folk/storyteller pastiche.  The song is incredibly catchy with an almost swing feel to it at times.  “Raise Your Voice” encourages children to speak up from their well of idealism about the world; encouraging them to not be borne down by the cynicism of the world around them.  The song is well-written, and Terrana performs it with heart.  There is one moment, on the highest note of the song, where the vocals come off a bit shrill, but otherwise the performance is flawless.

“All Of You” is written from the midst of true, deep and abiding love; it’s an invitation to join her and be immersed in its waters.  Terrana calls on her heritage, infusing shades of an Italian folk style here.  “I’ll Always Be With You” brings a sort of Baroque musical theater feel to the table.  While the song itself is a love song in a fairly common style, Terrana breathes pleasant life into the genre.  “See The Light” and “At School” are solid album tracks that lead into the splendid songwriting that makes up “God, I Need Comfort”.  Terrana’s representation of one side of a dialogue or prayer is intriguing; full of dark, Mediterranean influences.  Terrana explores the darker side of self and the constant battle to be better than we really are.  The composition is gorgeous, with amazing harmony vocals.  “Never Go” is another meditation on love; on her desire for love to stay as it is forever.  See The Light closes out with “Time”, a gentle plea to time itself to slow down for her.  Terrana keeps things simple, allowing the simple beauty of the melody and the unbridled angst of the lyrics to shine.  It’s a stunning closer.

Jeneen Terrana shows a lot of musical maturity on See The Light while exploring the happier countenance of love.  She doesn’t get entirely way from the darker aspects of humanity, and often her best songwriting comes from those darker places, but See The Light is a strong transitional album.  It doesn’t have quite the urgent energy of her previous work, but shows an artist struggling to come to terms with her deeper self.  Terrana is a top-notch songwriting, and her voice is enthralling.  And while there are a couple of slow spots here, this is the album Terrana had to make next to continue to grow creatively and as a performer.  See The Light is highly recommended listening.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Jeneen Terrana at www.jeneenterrana.com or www.myspace.com/jeneenterrana.   See The Light is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  Digital copies are also available from iTunes.