Search - Chic :: C'Est Chic

Alltime Classic Disco

disco75 | State College, PA United States | 07/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the top 5 disco albums and a pinnacle from the best band since the big band era. It exploded with confidence and talent to spare onto an unsuspecting audience who had benignly liked the group's first lp. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards seemed ready to discard conventions in pop music and had the skill to achieve this goal. Even the album cover was unique, listing the song titles on the front and depicting the band in the cool, detached, stylish way that became their trademark for a while. The music didn't depend on the personality of the vocalists; rather, the group was conceived to be an organic whole. Instrumental and semi-instrumental tracks were heard alongside songs with chanted verses; song construction and arrangement had the string section not just creating a backdrop but often carrying the melody. The guitar assumed rhythm duties; at times the bass played melody. The interplay of guitar and bass was well served with a bedrock of solid drumming and piano playing (witness "I Want Your Love," "Chic Cheer"). The arrangements were unconventional but subtle. Many people complained of the simplistic lyrics or repetitious choruses, failing to perceive the unity of the compositions, the use of voice as instrumentation, the employment of minor progressions and layering to build and release tension.Much has been said about "Le Freak," a huge hit in 1978. A hard sell to the label suits, it ended up an anthem of the times, serving multiple duty as disco hit, dance step hallmark, and banner for the socially disenfranchised who were being edged off the very club floors they created by increasing numbers of suburban dancers. More remarkable is "I Want Your Love," a perfection of a song that works in the clubs, on the radio, in the living room, and especially in the bedroom. Seductive and plaintive, it is one of the most gorgeous, well crafted recordings ever.Overlooked gems abound on this lp. "Happy Man" contains the rare male vocal lead and a rolling bass that gathers increasing steam to the extended instrumental fade. "At Last I Am Free" is a tone poem that shows the emotive capabilities of the vocalists, proving that Chic was not a group with personality-less, interchangeable singers. "Savoir Faire" is a hybrid jazz-pop construction that puts the string section to use in rare ways. In sum, this was a stunning achievement, hardly predicted from the group's one previous effort. That there was still more innovation to come from the group was a hope that was more than gratified in coming years."

Disco Chic

Olukayode Balogun | Leeds, England | 02/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was just a callow youth when I bought this record on vinyl when it first came out all those years ago. The worldwide buzz was all about the massive club hits "Le Freak" and "I Want Your Love", and while I totally understood why and love those songs to this day, my personal favourite was always the album opener, "Chic Cheer".



Few people I met ever shared my view but I finally felt personally vindicated twenty years later when Ron 'Amen-Ra' Lawrence and Sean 'Puffy' Combs sampled the song for Faith Evans' 1998 megahit "Love Like This". I was a amateur DJ back then and was one of the first on the circuit to get the 12 inch single. I remember playing it at a friends birthday party in Chiswick and remember the crowd going wild. And then, a few years later, in 2003, Fatman Scoop & The Crooklyn Clan used the Faith Evans tune as the basis of their similarly massive club hit "Be Faithful". People still go crazy for that one.



Anyway, almost thirty years after its release, this is still one album (I own it on CD now) I play on a regular basis and I enjoy it just as much as I did on day one. It never fails to make me smile, sing along and sometimes even dance, no matter what mood I'm in. Every tune is a winner and I especially love that they included the instrumental - dare I say jazz-fusion? - number, "Savoir Faire". All the songs were written, produced, arranged and conducted by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards and those two will go down in history not just as the kings of disco, which they were, but as the architects of some of the best music my generation was to ever enjoy.



Say Amen for the days when you got just eight songs on a CD and still feel like you got your money's worth. That happens very rarely these days, if at all.



"

The Chic funk comes together here...da bomb!

Funky D | Bayou Country | 04/04/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I recall perusing a used record bin in 1988 and seeing this album. Recalling "Le Freak", I went ahead and bought it. After listening to it just once, I was hooked. This is THE record that sparked my love for Chic, the Commodores, Kool & the Gang, and the rest. I've been a funketeer ever since! I still have this piece of vynil that I bought 13 years ago!"C'est Chic" represents Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edward's 2nd effort in the disco-funk vein. Although their original work "Chic" was good, it is obvious that their brand of rock-solid rhythms and airy melodies gelled on this album.One of the biggest additions to this album, which would become a hallmark of the Chic Sound, was the introduction of the Chic Strings, an all-female outfit that really rounded out the Chic sound and added to the overall open, easy feel of the tracks. I have always preferred the rich texture of strings over the more-common horn sections, and, while Chic used both effectively, it is still the strings that ice the cake. This may also be the reason why I've always like Philly Soul, but I digress.This album also introduces us to Alfa Anderson, who replaced vocalist Norma Jean Wright, who went on to record "solo" work (her albums were still Nile & 'Nard productions).Still another debut is marked by none other than Luther Vandross, who at this time (1978) was still a virtually-unknown singer on the Atlantic-subsidiary Cotillion label.The most famous track on this ablum is, of course, "Le Freak", which set the disco world on its ear, and introduces the masses to Nile's percolating rhythm guitar (a sound that is still instantly recognizable), and Bernard's deceptively simple bass lines. However, there is far more to this album than this.In addition to "Le Freak", "I Want Your Love" provided Chic with a minor hit. Featured on the "Soup for One" soundtrack album (regrettably out of print), it is a piece of changing textures. During the break, which consists of nothing more than Bernard, Nile and Tony, Nile does a neat stereo guitar trick. In the right channel, he plays his rhythm part open. In the left channel, he plays the same part choked."Savoir Faire" is this ablum's jazz-oriented track which demonstrates that Nile's guitar talents aren't limited to just playing rhythm. The stop-and-go bass and drum parts keep the listener's attention."Happy Man" and "Sometimes You Win" are a pair of tracks that feature Bernard behind the mic, and are pretty lighthearted tunes, although the bass break at the end of "Happy Man" is killer."At Last I Am Free" feature a meloncholy melody with seemingly enless repetitions of nonsensical lyrics. It is one of a very few songs that doesn't rise to the normal Chic level of excellence.For openers, there is the somewhat-self-serving "Chic Cheer", which is a tad repetitive, but in the breaks, Nile's guitar sizzles. You can almost visualize all those dancing notes winding in and out of Tony Thompson's hi-hat and kick-drum accents.Lastly, there is "(Funny) Bone, which is similarly structured to the "Cheer", but a lot more funky and listenable. It's hard to sit still when it's playing. It is also memorable as the song that my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers played back then during their locker room Super Bowl victory celebrations.Overall, "C'est Chic" stands alongside "Risque" as the best example of the classic Chic sound. It is a must-own album for any funkophile."