Search - Home :: Home

Biolay-Mastroianni "Home"

jqr | Brooklyn | 10/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a breathtaking album; as soon as I started listening to it I rated it in my top five albums of 2004. Chiara's voice is perfectly matched to the material; she doesn't sing hard, but she has snappy phrasing and she makes the most of the arrangements, which are lush and full without being sappy. Most of the songs have a fairly simple guitar-based sound.



According to the Radio France website, this album is supposed to be a "road-trip" record. The stripped-down arrangements do a good job of not getting in the way of the lyrics, and they convey a sense of movement and direction.



If this record has any kind of similarity to the Francoise Hardy/Serge Gainsbourg ye-ye genre of French pop, it's in the sly eroticism of the songs; they are definitely coming from an adult sensibility.



If you are looking for complicated, original adult songs, interpreted by an accomplished vocalist, this is a disc for you. For those who don't speak French, there are a few English songs and the lyrics (clear and easy to understand) are included."

Chiara Mastroianni + Benjamin Biolay = Home

Miguel Cane | Mexico City, Mexico | 08/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Quite a pleasant surprise from France!

Taking a detour from the usual Europop, Benjamin Biolay and his wife, the talented actress Chiara Mastroianni (yes, the daughter of überdiva Catherine Deneuve and the immortal Marcello)pull a Gainsbourg/Birkin stunt and turn it on its ear.

The result? A fascinating landscape of atmospheric pop, rythm-guitar, hypnotic chanting and erotic airs that conjugate a great album.

Starting with the lazy twangs of "La Ballade du Mois de Juin", we are transported to a place in the french countryside wherein this couple acts as host-hostess of a musical feast. The influences are as varied as Lou Reed, the aforementioned Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy, Stereolab and The Cocteau Twins. Chiara's voice is ethereal yet earthy, with a perfect timing and diction both in english ("A House is Not a Home") and french (the delicious "L'Arizona"). There is a hip lullaby dedicated to their own daughter, Anna ("She's my baby") and even a haunting closing prayer ("Douce comme le eau").

Definitely, if you crave for something different from the usual array of regular pop fare, you should look into this one: it is a gratifying experience and offers many tricks, including an infectious and snappy tune: "Dance Rock'n'Roll" which entices you to do just that... shake your hips and dance.



Definitely, a marvelous find!"