Published on Mar 19, 1997
It seems to me that I’m the only one who’s interested in
reviewing so-called “fluff” albums on “The Daily Vault”. Sometimes
I get intimidated by all the upper-world revelations some reviewers
here and on HitsWorld seem to get from all sorts of albums by
everyone from Tool to Nirvana. Hey, I like my material; I just want
some fun, not the meaning of life.
Because once in a while in the “fluff” hierarchy, an album comes
out that screams “I’M AN ARTIST!!!” and perks up my faith in
“fluff” (or using Vault lingo, a “gem”). At this precarious time
for “fluff” when artists Mariah Carey is preparing, Whitney Houston
is going down, Toni Braxton is disappointing, and Spice Girls are
overplayed, Celine Dion releases an album that captures her
trademark live performances in one neat package.
Don’t be turned off by the thirteen out of fifteen French
language tracks. Jean-Jacques Goldman works perfectly with Dion, so
even if it
is essentially a Dion-Goldman concert, it doesn’t take away
anything at all.
I understand only rudimentary French but this album still took
me into a state of stupor. I’ve seen Celine Dion in concert
recently (Seoul performance), and I’m amazed at how perfectly the
feeling is captured into disc. The layout is the only disagreeable
factor; “J’Attendais” was never my favorite Celine Dion song
(Celine, you’re a “fluff” artist! Enter with Goddess-like pose!)
and “Vole” isn’t a good way to end a concert. I was very
disappointed that “To Love You More” was not a live performance,
just the studio version, released for the sake of the Americans (it
was previously released in Southeast Asia and Europe).
But that’s it on the negatives. “J’Attendais” kicks into
“Destin” which happens to be one of my favorite songs on her
D’eux album. Everything about this song is perfect for
Celine Dion live; she sings it with much more passion than she does
in the studio.
It’s really too bad about “The Power Of Love”, the song
everybody either loves or hates. Without the high polish gloss
effect of the studio, her stark belting is less emotional.
“Regarde-Moi” and “River Deep, Mountain High” do the requisite
let’s-perk-the-audience bit and I get a little afraid for her; this
lady sings with no reserve whatsoever. What if she loses her voice
in the middle of the concert? It amazes me because here’s one of
the thinnest singers on Earth and she flies around the stage for
over two hours, faltering not one bit.
It took me some time to realize that “Un Garcon Pas Comme” and
“Les Autres (Ziggy)” were the same song (it’s actually “Un Garcon
Pas Comme Les Autres (Ziggy)”). I gotta say this here; the French
audience is amazingly in tune when Dion invites them to sing the
chorus.
“Les Derniers Seront Les Premiers” is my favorite song on
D’eux, so my anticipation was high as I listened into this
song. It’s around a hundred times more exicting than it is in
D’eux; when Jean-Jacques Goldman suddenly added his vocals
to Dion’s during the second chorus, electricity went through my
skin. He was a little shaky at first, but that’s part of the
magic.
Then Dion goes “Are you ready to rock and roll!” And she gets
into “J’Irai Ou Tu Iras”, another duet song featuring Goldman. Dion
makes a sharp contrast with the following “Je Sais Pas”, much more
chilling than its childish English-lyric counterpart “I Don’t
Know”.
“Le Ballet” is a much longer edit than its album version (ten
minutes and thirty something seconds) because Dion introduces her
band members during a much extended bridge section. It’s also a
fascinating study on the interesting sounds Celine Dion can make;
especially when she does imitations of the intruments she’s
introducing or that weird breathing sequence she does on 6:56 and
7:38. Only someone with French influence would be able to produce
them (you’ll hear what I mean).
“Priere Paienne” can be easily overlooked in
D’eux but thanks to Dion’s formidable background singers,
that’s impossible. Sit back and enjoy the gorgeous harmonies going
in the background … preferably late at night driving fast on a
highway with the roof down (convertible required).
The audience goes understandably berserk when Dion opens “Pour
Que Tu M’aimes Encore”, another exquisite song on
D’eux later to be butchered in
Falling Into You when it was translated into English (“If
That’s What it Takes”). I’d like to extend a gratified smooch to
Celine Dion herself; thank you for singing this song, especially
for singing it
in French. No matter what happens during the rest of the
album, nothing will destroy it.
So it’s sad that she had to end it with “Quand On N’a Que
L’Amour” and “Vole”. The former has the “fluff” laid on too thick.
“Vole” was a very unwise choice for an encore; it’s just plain
boring to hear in studio or live. And how was I to know that
“inedit” in English meant “studio version”? “To Love You More” is
her best English track to date (which is saying a lot), but it
doesn’t belong on this live album.
Regarding
Live a Paris as a package, it’s near-perfect; Dion is better
on stage than in the studio and she knows it.
Falling Into You didn’t deserve the Grammy for Album of the
Year, and that disappointing album unfortunately overshadows
Live a Paris in CD stores everywhere. Not buying
Falling Into You is perfectly understandable, but
Live a Paris deserves more attention and respect than it is
getting now. It simply is the best Celine Dion album to date. And
isn’t that reason enough?
For we “fluff” fans, the answer us YES!