All Over The World - Francoise Hardy

Advantages: Beautiful melodies, beautifully interpreted
Disadvantages: Some might be put off by the fact it is in French

...is in this country about listening to foreign language songs. In France (and probably in most of Europe), English language songs are heard - and enjoyed - all the time on the radio, TV, etc. In fact, I believe the Beatles were instrumental in making a whole generation of Europeans want to speak English, so they could understand the songs. Anyway, I tried to put myself in the British public's socks (what a strange image!) and wondered how the language thing would affect people in this country listening to the songs. That's actually quite a difficult thing to work out, so I asked my husband instead. He doesn't speak any French at all but he really likes this CD. In fact, he said that the songs that are translated sound better in the French version. For any of you that are learning French, it is worth noting that Françoise Hardy's diction is very easy... Read review

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Advantages: Great to chill out to after a long day!
Disadvantages: So laid back you may forget its on!

..."Chill-out" is a much over used/hyped/marketed phrase, especially in these post-rock/rave days. So six years on, Moon Safari by Air still sums up everything that genre should be about. We get glorious, soft vocals, seas of keyboards and heart-beat bass lines to float us away. Its the musical equivilent of a good pair of slippers, a cup of horlicks and a purring cat. There is a dance element there. DJs were queuing up to mix - Sexy Boy. But everything is soothed by the flowing vocals of Blur's mate Francoise Hardy, succulent brass and teasing organs. There are not many albums I listen to as much now as when they were released. But the strength of songs like Kelly Watch The Stars, Remember and the sublime You Make It Easy make this something special. This is not just a hotch-potch of samples and cellos to an old James Brown sample... Read review

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Advantages: Unique tone poems
Disadvantages: None

...and emptiness of space where Neptune roams. Holst direction for this movement was “dead tone, except for the clarinet”. The tone is indeed vague portraying no emotional feeling until a wordless chorus enters accompanying the orchestra. They are left on their own and then fade away to nothingness. Egdon Heath For orchestra, Op.47 Egdon Heath was dedicated to the memory of Thomas Hardy who Holst visited whilst in Dorset. Egdon Heath is a vast expanse of Moorland between Dorchester and Bournemouth and is utilised as the backdrop to Thomas Hardy’s Return of the Native. In fitting with Hardy's style of writing, the piece is a serious and morose portraying dark threatening clouds. The deep bass underlines the activity of the higher strings depicting a storm over a wild torrid heath. The storm relaxes and the bass is plucked to represent the resumption... Read review

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