Yes, another review this soon, but first a little background...
Star Académie is a Québec talent show in the mold of American Idol, which has been on the air since 2003 (with a short hiatus between 2005 and 2009). Widely criticized for being a blatant commercial marketing tool for Quebecor, who own TVA - the network that broadcasts the show, a myriad of provincial newspapers, web portals like canoe.ca, various news programs (who in turn heavily promote S.A.), the radio stations who would eventually play the music, Distribution Select who would distribute the CD's and finally Archambault the music stores where the CD's are sold. (Damn! Add a breeding facility where the competitors could be created in a test tube, and you'd have the plot for an Alex Jones documentary!)
Regardless, the show would lay the groundwork for several well-deserved success stories including: Marie-Mai Bouchard (you may remember her kick-ass performance at the 2010 Olympic closing ceremonies), Wilfred Le Bouthillier (a win that rang across Acadia), Suzie Villeneuve, Étienne Drapeau, Marc-André Fortin (J'offre mes vœux sincères et profondes pour une récupération rapide et complète Monsieur Fortin!(1)). And that's a very short list, which only includes artists who's albums are now in my collection...the show has resulted in nearly 50 top selling albums, and while Quebecor's web of influence may reek of industry manipulation, it does put some formidable marketing muscle behind a few deserving souls, and gives hopeful young participants the opportunity to perform with the likes of Celine Dion, Lady Gaga and Simple Plan.
The 2009 edition of Star Académie resulted in 4 albums so far: A soundtrack album (which has gone gold) , and releases from contestants Maxime Landry (the show's 2009 winner), Pascal Chaumont and William Deslauriers.
The 2009 edition of Star Académie resulted in 4 albums so far: A soundtrack album (which has gone gold) , and releases from contestants Maxime Landry (the show's 2009 winner), Pascal Chaumont and William Deslauriers.
Maxime Landry may have taken the crown, but I found his debut album 'Vox Pop' to be an uninspired collection of pop/torch songs that should be avoided while driving or operating heavy machinery.
Maxime has a wonderful voice if he could only just loosen up a bit. Vox Pop is just so damned boring ("stiff" may be a better word) that it is simply not in the same class as the releases from his fellow contestants! If my mother were still alive, she'd get his CD for Christmas, and she'd love it (and then claim she wrote all the songs, but that's another story).
I looked forward to Pascal Chaumont's debut, "Chacun son chemin" ("To Each His Own"), if for no other reason than the fact that Pascal
seems so maudits genuine and likeable... or as much as can be determined from the decidedly 'plastic' presentation of a talent show. The album does not disappoint, but it does leave the impression that Monsieur Chaumont is still working out where he wants to go with his music. His influences seem to be Fripp/Eno/Byrne, and that's certainly not a bad place to start. I look at "Chacun son chemin" as an enjoyable teaser for what is yet to come from a very talented artist.One of the eliminated contestants' performances resulted in a massive radio hit for him from the soundtrack album. The contestant was 18 year old William Deslauriers, and the song was a remake of
Fred Fortin's "Moisi Moé 'ssi" - "I'm mouldy too" - a title which loses more than a little in the translation (It's actually a very sweet love song). While some felt that it was a pale comparison to the original (the bass line, rock tempo and Dylan-esque vocals gone in favor of a laid-back pop feel), it became a huge hit and remained a top selling single on Palmares (PureTrack's Québec affiliate) until a few weeks ago when William released his new album, "Un Pied à Terre". Now, if having a hit single from a talent show soundtrack isn't mind-blowing enough, Williams debut album set not only a new sales record on Palmares (10,500 albums in just 6 days!), but also ranked second place overall on the main Puretracks site (being surpassed only by the Glee soundtrack!
That's the #2 sales spot on the web's biggest Canadian music store!!! Not bad for a debut french album which doesn't sell or get airplay outside of Québec (OK, he sold at least one copy in Ontario - that I'm sure of)!
Discussing his version of the song William had this to say (translated): "Fred Fortin is an unbelievable author / composer / performer, but I wanted to bring my own colour to the song". Well, it would seem that French Canada enjoys the Deslauriers palette, because his adaptation resulted in a massive success, literally eclipsing the original, and making William an overnight sensation.
And the album earns it's 15 minutes of fame as well. It is nothing more, and nothing less, than a highly enjoyable collection of musically "catchy" pop songs. Slightly pedestrian lyrics (an indication of William's 20 short years, not his potential skill as a lyricist) are compensated for with stunning arrangements and wonderful instrumentation. William has shrewdly surrounded himself with some industry top guns for his maiden voyage... We find pianist and arranger Scott Price, accompanied on harmonica by, "Psychobilly" creator Jim Zeller, and Celine Dion's percussionists Paul Picard & Pierre Hébert (the latter of 70's band "Octobre" fame).
William says (translated) that "It was interesting working with them. I insisted that the album be recorded this way (a "live" studio recording). For me, it was quite often a learning experience"
He's been having this learning experience for a long time! Born in the small town of Plessisville to Isabelle Richard and Daniel Deslauriers,
William started plucking on rubber bands as a baby. Well, it wasn't long before his grandmother recognized his potential and told his uncle Sebastian to start teaching him guitar basics. Learning finger positions for chords from the back covers of CD's (remember when YOUR eyes were that good, fellow old farts?), he formed a punk band called "Silver Catalyst" in high school. As high school drew to a close, William realized that his heart really belonged to performing acoustic solos and he decided to audition for the end-of-classes gala with a song from his favorite artist (Jack Johnson) "Flake"(2)."Un pied a terre" could have been a VERY different album. It could have been in English! With influences like Johnson, Deslauriers considered a bilingual or English album. Luckily, Star Académie officials Patrick Huard and Michel Rivard convinced him to write and record in French (helps keep him in the Quebecor marketing sphere, I guess - we all know how capitalism just loves to present itself as patriotism).
And yup, I said "Luckily"... Now, you may wonder why I'm happy he chose a route that severely limits the range of his airplay... Well, recording in English may have given him a higher probability of cross-border exposure (still not guaranteed for Québec artists, as Luce Dufault or The Lost Fingers clearly demonstrate), but had he entered the general fray of the Canadian pop scene, I fear that William's youth and his "cute" but unusual looks, would have found him marketed as yet another throw away bubble-gum teen idol, created as a money generator rather than an artist. Remaining within the Québec music industry not only leaves him firmly entrenched in a milieu that supports it's artists' freedom of expression, but has also allows him to maintain the musical integrity that is so apparent in this release. (Let's face it, if the balance of the country supported its artists like Québec does, there'd be no room on the airwaves for non-Canadian artists). Anyway, the kid is only 20! He's got a lifetime ahead of him. He can bloody well sing in Cantonese eventually if he wants to!
Although we find a more polished remix of the hit song "Moisi Moé 'ssi" (still far more commercial than the original), the balance of the album is written exclusively by Deslauriers, and for a debut effort, I am truly impressed. While it lacks the maturity of last year's album from Alexandre Poulin (3), tracks like "C'est comme ça", "Je leve mon verre", and "Toujours preneur" have a replayability that will keep the album in my playlist well into the foreseeable future. Remember though, that even with it's acoustic feel, this is first and foremost a "pop" album - and quite a light one at that. There are at least a half-dozen tracks which could easily be released as successful singles ("Recommencer tout a zero" already enjoying the #1 spot on Montreal charts), and while counting singles is not always the ideal way to judge an album, at least it indicates that this is much more than simply a banal vehicle for his previous hit. And damn, William has a wonderfully pleasant voice that works perfectly for his folk/rock sensibilities.
At 20, his audience is primarily teenage girls (la vie c't'un bitch hein William?!) but, unlike what he would have been forced to release from an Anglo-centric record label, there is also enough here to satisfy adults looking for a light and breezy musical escape. This is a summer feel good record, and it functions admirably on this level - but how could it not? William is 20 years old, enjoying an immense, virtually overnight success, working with musicians who've recorded with Charlebois, Dufresne, Dion and Voisine... He's having the time of his life, and that pure joy is what he shares with us on this record. (Can we still call them "records"?).
That joy is what makes this CD so addictive and fun.
I look forward to seeing where his career will lead him. The album's lyrics remain simple and unpretentious (expected from a 'pop' album with a tween/teen target market), but the soundscape is full. The vocals are very pleasant & well suited to the material, and the production is quite tight - especially for a "live" studio recording. If the album does half as well as I believe it will, I think we'll be seeing William standing at the ADISQ podium this fall, possibly holding more than one Félix.
And even if I'm wrong about that (I still think Alexandre Poulin should have been 2009's New Artist of the Year!), it is certain that William's cover of "Moisi Moé 'ssi" will be included on every Québec pop compilation covering this decade for generations to come. On that argument alone he deserves a nod at the Junos.
Quebecor must be pleased!
NOTES:
(1) Three weeks ago, Marc-André Fortin underwent surgery for tongue cancer. A terrifying disease for anyone, but for a singer, the repercusions are even more disturbing. I know you will all join me in wishing Monsieur Fortin the very best for a speedy and complete recovery. He never smoked and was not a "party-animal", suggesting that God is, once again, having a laugh while playing a cruel joke on one of the good guys. I can't find anything about his current condition, but will post an update when I can get more information and perhaps an agent or manager where we can send get well wishes.
(2) One of the reason I love writing music reviews - especially of less well known artists, is that in doing research, I always find even more artists whom I have never heard of. Such was the case with Jack Johnson. I feel a little stupid, because in finding out more about him, I discovered that he's hardly obscure, and has quite a large following. So it was more a case of me simply being out of touch with a lot of English music. I highly recommend looking Mr Johnson up if you're unfarmiliar with him. If you miss the brilliant John Martyn (R.I.P.) as I do, I think you'll love Jack Johnson. (Merci bien William!!)
(3) I am SOOOO excited!! Alexandre Poulin will be releasing the first single off of his new album in August!! (He just got back from California doing the video!). This is without a doubt the album I have been anticipating above all others! I expect every one reading this to BUY IT as soon as it is released. Let's give Alexandre the fame and success he deserves so that we poor franco-challenged suckers who live in Toronto may get a chance to see him in concert locally!! (Alexandre n’oublié pas vos amis Ontarien si vous auriez une spectacle pour le lancement du CD! Vous savez que je trouverais mon chemin à Montréal mois meme, si je trouve par chance une invitation dans ma boîte postale! (clin d'oeil souriante))
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