Celine Dion - D'Elles

2007 French language album not scheduled for release in the US. This new album is a concept project in that all the song lyrics have been written by female writers from France and Quebec. There are many collaborators: Françoise Dorin, Christine Orban, Nina Bouraoui, Marie Laberge, Lise Payette, Denise Bombardier, Nathalie Nechtschein, Janette Bertrand... The themes throughout this album, titled 'D'elles,' centre around 'Woman.' Many of Celine's long-time friends and collaborators, including Jean-Jacques Goldman, participated in this project. Although Goldman did not write any of the songs for this album, he supervised the project and arranged the song lyrics. Music composers include Jacques Veneruso, David Gategno, Erick Benzi and Gildas Arzel. Sony/BMG. Album Description

Pas tres bien ma belle

I'm not carzy about this CD. I have some previous Dion CDs in french, and they are all great, but ths one... not. She shouts too much, the music composition lacks of talent. Dommage May 25, 2008

Not my favorite of Celine's albums

I can't get into this one, and I'm a real big fan of Celine. I think the problem I have with it is that, unlike her other albums, the songs on D'elles don't seem to have a climax to them. I don't get the feelings behind the songs. I love Celine in both French and English but this album doesn't rank as a favorite for me. March 19, 2008

D'elles: here's one for the girls

D'elles is Celine's follow up to 1995's bestselling D'Eux and as such, is a shout-out to grrrl power (the clinical-sounding official line is "a concept project that celebrates womanhood"). The lyrics for the thirteen songs were written by well-known female authors from Belgium, France, and Canada, including Franoise Dorin, Christine Orban, Nina Bouraoui, Marie Laberge, Lise Payette, Denise Bombardier, Nathalie Nechtschein, Jovette Alice Bernier, Janette Bertrand and George Sand (Baroness Dudevant).

The studio wizards include the four collaborators on Celine's last French album 1 Fille & 4 Types: Jean-Jacques Goldman (music supervisor), Jacques Veneruso, Erick Benzi, and Gildas Arzel (the "four guys" referred to in the title of her earlier work). My favorite Acadien singer-songwriter Jean-Francois Breau (Expose) also contributes his songwriting expertise.

Some of the thirteen songs have uptempo flirtations with dance music (Et s'il n'en restait qu'une, A cause), while others are gentle slow ballads (On s'est aime a cause, Je ne suis pas celle). We even see Celine "duetting" with the late Maria Callas through studio wizardry on La diva, although Celine sings along so softly with Callas that it's difficult to hear how her operatic aspirations measure up. Another of the more experimental tracks is Lettre a George Sand, in which Celine recites the text of a letter from George Sand and dissolves into a melody that somehow reminded me of my grandfather's favorite religious song "Prayer of St. Francis." My least-favorite track was the grating lullaby Berceuse, in which Celine merely whispers the words and infinitely repeats the "Mama t'aime" ("Mommy loves you") chorus ad nauseum.

Overall, it's a pleasant, if sometimes bland, listening experience that makes for pleasant background music, but for the most part, the songs blended together and weren't instantly memorable on first listen. Also beware if you buy the deluxe edition from France: the bonus DVD is Region 2 PAL only; Amazon.com didn't specify that, and I ended up returning my copy since it was pointless paying $26 for a disc I couldn't play (I had erroneously assumed that the deluxe edition was the Canadian, not European import, and it was not labeled as such).
March 14, 2008

AWESOME

VERY NICE SELECTION! PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT OF REPETITION IN THE LYRICS, BUT AS USUAL, SHE DELIGHTS US WITH HER WARM AND PRECIOUS VOICE. February 24, 2008

D'Elles: Another Celine Dion Triumph!

I own every French album she has ever published. The English albums are nice and some of the English songs are very beautiful, BUT: There is absolutely no comparison when Dion sings in her native tongue. I have listened to most of her French music hundreds of times, and I love all of it.

This latest 2007 release is, in my opinion, her best French album. Her complete control over the mood of the material is astounding. How she could ever do it so perfectly with all the pressures of her Las Vegas appearances is a mystery to me.

But let me not forget the superb instrumental arrangements, the peerless quality of the musicians, and the flawless production overall. I do not know the French language at all, but the style of French compositions is very unique, especially when a singing talent like Celine Dion presents it so effortlessly.
February 20, 2008

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