Mireille Mathieu - Chante Piaf

Good Mireille, Not Piaf

Preface: I do not do many music reviews, and I believe they are not my strength, but I chose to review this album for two reasons: I think that many people do not know about the wonderful voice of Mireille Mathieu, which means that many people, in my opinion, are missing out on something special; more people do know of Edith Piaf and her songs. This album, while not the best work by Mme. Mathieu, will give new listeners a chance to hear her sing songs they will recognize, make comparisons between her and the Sparrow of Paris (i.e., Edith Piaf), and tempt them to check out more of Mme. Mathieu's work. Another route would be to poke around on YouTube, or similar sites, to sample the work of Mireille Mathieu.

I want to make it clear that Mathieu and Piaf were very different singers, although many in France hailed Mathieu as the successor to Piaf. Mireille Mathieu's voice is stronger and clearer than Piaf's, in my view, and more akin to the voice of Barbara Streisand or Melissa Manchester than to Piaf's, while Edith Piaf had a more sultry, smokier, sorrowful voice, to me. Also, Edith Piaf was Parisian and had the accent of that region, whereas Mireille Mathieu was born in Southeastern France, in Avignon, where the accent features more guttural sounds and more emphasis on rolling the letter R. The songs in this album are in French, but she can sing in English, plus seven other languages.

Song List: This album, which I actually have as a cassette, features these songs:

La Vie En Rose (3:39)
La Foule (3:06)
Sous Le Ciel De Paris (3:17)
Mon Dieu (2:57)
L'Homme A La Moto (2:06)
Exodus (3:44)
Padam Padam (2:54)
L'Hymme A L'Amour (3:35)
Mon Manege A Moi (3:00)
Jezebel (3:46)
L'Accordeoniste (3:27)
Milord (4:45)
Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (2:21)

I think this is a somewhat odd mix of songs for which Edith Piaf was famous, as in La Vie En Rose, Milord, and Je Ne Regrette Rien, plus other songs that well-known but not automatically associated with Piaf, as in Exodus, plus a song or two that I would not have included, like L'Homme A La Moto. Mireille Mathieu had been urged, for years, to do an Edith Piaf tribute album, and resisted, as she probably knew the frequent comparisons between the two chanteuses were a bit off the mark, but she finally relented. Some think listeners can detect a lingering lack of enthusiasm in this album, and they might be right. I have always liked the song Exodus, and feel that it is the best on this album. Again, it is not really a purely Piaf song, and perhaps Mme. Mathieu thereby felt more free to let loose and make this version be her version of Exodus. June 15, 2008

MIREILLE CHANTE PIAF

Fantastic voice, superb singing; you don't have to know Edith Piaf to love Mireille Mathieu, you just have to hear Mireille Mathieu sing on this album, and you will know why Mireille Mathieu is so adored over and over again! April 3, 2005

Mathieu is Mathieu and Piaf is Piaf, and never the twain . .

I absolutely adore the work of Mireille Mathieu, I own several of her albums. But the least played in our house is this one; least played by far. The French decided decades ago that Mireille was Edith reincarnate and that has apparently haunted her career. I've read that after nearly thirty years she relented and did this Piaf album, and she proved she was right all along - this music belongs to only Edith.

Three stars here because Mathieu puts her own mark on several songs and they stand well, especially "Mon manege a moi" - and she does well with "La vie en rose". But on too many songs she seems almost self-conscious, her usual enthusiasm vanishes. She sings the words but her heart doesn't seem to be in it; Especially on "Mon Dieu" and on one of Piaf's signature songs, "Non, je ne regrette rien".

If you are lucky enough to own her "Embrujo" album try listening to the wonderful "L'hymne a l'amour" on this album and then on "Embrujo", which is in Spanish. Her effort in Spanish is so much more free, effortless, and beautiful - it's her, not Piaf, and it works.

Finally, the choice of a few of the songs leaves me bewildered. If I were trimming the work of Edith Piaf to thirteen songs I don't think I'd include "Exodus", it's not really Edith's song. And why on earth did they include the silly novelty motorcycle song, "The Terror of Highway 101" translated to French? It's like honoring Sinatra with "Old MacDonald". My Goodness.

Anyhow, Mireille will remain my favorite singer alive today. And Edith will remain my favorite in the history of mankind. And never the twain shall meet. February 15, 2004

A Must...

There is no doubt that Mireille Mathieu is one of the most versatile French performers ever. She's been seen as another Piaf for years, and that has affected her career sometimes positively and mostly negatively.
In this album, Mathieu sings some of the most famous Piaf songs. Let's not forget that this is Mireille singing . . . not Edith Piaf & the results are breathtaking. Yes, she does a [Heck] Of A Job!!!! Her own interpretations are spellbinding & Heavyweight.
A few people performed Piaf's songs with such elegant and power.
Strictly Recommended. April 14, 2002

A great performance!

Mireille Mathieu is marvelous in this CD. Her voice is unique. I'm a fan of Mireille Mathieu since I was 3 years old - I discovered her in a Brazilian LP, now on CD (which all Mathieu fans must have!) - and her technique is becoming better and better each year. I was particularly touched by her "Jezebel", which is fantastic! August 31, 2001

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