NEW MUSIC: NOUVELLE VAGUE – POP, MAMBO, CHA CHA, JAZZ & BOSSA NOVA WITH A FRENCH TOUCH; KAREN ANN – YOU’RE GONNA LOVE; DEEP STREET SOUL – COME ALIVE!

NOUVELLE VAGUE – POP, MAMBO, CHA CHA, JAZZ & BOSSA NOVA WITH A FRENCH TOUCH

A cool portrait of Paris in the late 50s/early 60s years of the new wave – served up here in a collection of music from soundtracks, jazz albums, and lots of French vocal treasures from the time! The grooves definitely run the gamut of styles promised in the title – with an especially strong focus on the way that Latin rhythms really came into the Parisian modes of music, and helped create fresh instrumental interplay that opened the doors to a new variety of vocal expression too! The set list is great – and mixes favorites from the films of Truffaut, Goddard, and others with even more obscure French records of the time – on titles that include "J'Aime Pas Le Rock", "L'Amour Et Le Jeu" by Michel Legrand, "Rendez Vous Au Lavandou" by Henri Salvador, "Nouvell Vague" by Ciarhd Anthony, "I Want To Be Kissed" by Charles Aznavour, "Viens A Juan Les Pins" by Bob Azzam, "Le Cinema" by Claude Nougaro, "Le Tourbillon" by Jeanne Moreau, "Chanson D'Angela" by Anna Karina, "Il Fait Gris Dans Mon Coeur" by Jacqueline Boyer, "Mon Truc En Plumes" by Zizi Jeanmarie, "Coucouch Panier" by Gillian Hills, and "Scrapple From The Apple" by Les Double Six. ~ Dusty Groove

KAREN ANN – YOU’RE GONNA LOVE

Wonderful work from Keren Ann – a French singer we first fell in love with on her albums done with producer Benjamin Biolay – working here with a different talent at the helm, but a sound that's equally sublime! Keren's also making a big step towards a global market here, too – continuing her trend of singing in English, which is the case throughout the album – which really helps get her captivating tunes and amazing sound to a larger market on this side of the Atlantic – all without losing the breathy charm of her previous French language vocals. The tunes have this moody vibe, almost in a hip early 70s singer/songwriter mode – and backing instrumentation that really follows suit. Titles include "Again & Again", "you Knew Me Then", "Bring Back", "The Separated Twin", "You Have It All To Lose", and "The River That Swallows All The Rivers".  ~ Dusty Groove

DEEP STREET SOUL – COME ALIVE!

Deep Street Soul are deeper than ever here – coming across with full-on, nonstop funky action – right from the very first drum breaks that start out the record! The set's got the group moving with incredible tightness – a razor-sharp instrumental core to beat the rest of the deep funk competition – topped on most cuts by vocals from May Johnson, who's easily one of the most unbridled singers we've heard working with a group like this! Some cuts have nicely noisy electric piano (Wurlitzer?) – which gives these guys a different core than some of the more Hammond-heavy groups – and the record also features guest vocals from Kylie Auldist and Joshua Taveres – but honestly, we like May's vocals the best! Titles include "Out Of The Gates", "Little Ray", "Done Me Wrong", "Big C", "Deux Freres", "The Hardest Part Is Knowing", "Love On Tap", and "Sweet Sugar Man". ~ Dusty Groove