Bertand LAURENCE

Home Page / Centre National de la Chanson/ L'Air du temps / Artists / Bertrand Laurence

La Vie en Bleu

1. Coup de blues (3:21) (Laurence)

2. The Eugene Strut (3:36) (Laurence)

3. Tous les jours, j'ai des bleus (3:15) (Laurence)

4. Faith, Reason and Death... (0:02) (Laurence/Davis/Westover)

5. Great Big Brains (4:09) (J. Turner)

6. Savage Rag (2:11) (Laurence)

7. St. Louis Blues (4:37) (trad.)

8. Cœur de glaise et gueule de bois (3:10) (Laurence)

9. Tune to Big Bill (2:52) (Laurence)

10. Out with the Wrong Woman (2:49) (Big Bill Broonzy)

11. Y a d'la joie ici... (2:30) (Laurence)

12. Graine d'Ananar (3:51) (Léo Ferré)

Bertrand's new album was among "Doug's Top 5" for August 1998 in Metronome. Here's what he had to say about it: "Bertrand Laurence displays his superb command of guitar on the well recorded 12-cut compact disc. Singing in French (his native tongue) on more than half of the vocal offereings, Laurence is truly a diverse and unusual entertainer. He has studied American blues and has mastered the fine art of slide guitar and country blues fingerpicking. His attack and ability to make notes 'ring' is truly a calling [to] which he has adapted with ease.

Although the vocal cuts are clever, it is Laurence's instrumental offerings that really shine. A gifted artist worthy of much recognition."

Nicole Bishop had the following take on the album: "French-born Bertrand Laurence has been in the U.S. for almost 20 years studying the blues, and he's done his homework. Playing traditional, finger-style blues&endash;with a French twist&endash;this CD's soulful sounds feel like a humid Southern afternoon with a cool Parisian attitude. "Coup de blues" is filled with slow, sticky riffs while others pick up the tempo without losing emotive power. Laurence demonstrates his picking talents in "Savage Rag," where one lick sounds like a slow, warped record. Singing in English and French, Laurence hits hardest in the latter&endash;particularly when singing about a raging hangover. And he sounds sexier, too, but what do you expect? Assez bon. "

Home Page / Centre National de la Chanson/ L'Air du temps / Artists / Bertrand Laurence

Order CDs online at http://www.cdfreedom.com