Patricia Kaas Toute la Musique

2009 collection from the acclaimed French vocalist. Patricia is the most successful French artist abroad, the proud musical descendant of Piaf, Chevalier, Montand and Co. She adopted a style perfectly suited to her warm and powerful voice. Popular at home, famous abroad, Patricia Kaas is a role model for French youth today…

Chanteuse Patricia Kaas was born in France's Lorraine region, where she began performing as a youth; by age 11, she even held a residency at the Rumpelkammer Club in Sarrebrucken, Germany, over time honing a distinct style updating the French chanson tradition with elements of pop, blues and jazz. Scoring her first national hit in 1987 with "Mademoiselle Chante le Blues," Kaas was named Female Newcomer of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique, and her debut album Mademoiselle Chante earned platinum status in France, Belgium and Switzerland; the follow-up, Scene de Vie, topped the French charts for three months…

The top female performer in 1990s France, she sold over five million albums by her mid-twenties.
Scoring her first national hit in 1987 with "Mademoiselle Chante le Blues," Kaas was named Female Newcomer of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique, and her debut album Mademoiselle Chante earned platinum status in France, Belgium and Switzerland.

'Dans Ma Chair' was the album that first introduced me to Patricia's music. I fell in love with it from the first time I heard it. Even if the French language is not your forte, that will not keep this CD from being an exciting experience for you. Patricia has such a beautiful distinct voice which will take you through a journey of pop, soul, blues, and even a little bit of country. The relaxing sound of songs such as 'Quand J'ai Peur de Tout', and 'L'amour Devant La Mer', (though melancholy in subject matter) will flow ever so gently on you soul.

This album was released on May 14, 1999. As for Je te dis vous and Dans ma chair, it was composed and produced by many famous artists in France. For example, it was produced by the French singer and songwriter Pascal Obispo, on which Kaas was accompanied by an orchestra on several tracks. Jean-Jacques Goldman again contributed to the making of the studio album, among others writing two songs : "Une Fille de l'Est" (Eng: "A Girl from the East") in which Kaas praised her East French heritage and "Quand les chansons commencent" (Goldman had already worked with Kaas for her two previous studio albums).

This is the recording studio version of the concert Patricia Kaas gave at Carnegie Hall in tribute to the 50th anniversary of Edith Piaf's passing. She is backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a small studio band – accordion, bass, guitar, Theremin, keyboards – and even a chorus under the direction of Abel Korzeniowski, who also arranged the material and produced the album. The live performance, while a commercial success, had its share of critics, including Piaf purists, who were quick to note that Kaas doesn't possess the vocal range of her subject. Kaas fans found the size and power of the orchestra too daunting for her to overcome.

Patricia Kaas' 2002 release Piano Bar is a lovely, seductive collection of romantic mood music, pulled directly from the chanteuse tradition but sounding utterly contemporary. Some credit must go to producer/arranger Michel Legrand, who keeps the polished surface softly glimmering, yet this is merely a stage for Kaas, whose vocals are never flashy, but always alluring.