Comédies Humaines / Daniel Lavoie (2007, GSI Canada)

Comédies Humaines is one of my favorite albums by Daniel Lavoie. No-no, one doesn't need to understand French in order to appreciate it. The music is enough, with its sensual and at the same time intellectual allure. However, as always the case with this author/singer, words matter, and they matter a lot.

This is one of Lavoie's most mature and personal albums. It deals with a wide range of life's aspects, but is firmly centered around a human being, who is the hub of his own universe, but also just a grain of sand from the perspective of time and fate (the micro vs. macro views). The message of the album is highly humanistic. With its mix of sensuality, tragedy and wisdom it reflects an almost balanced (if slightly biased towards sensuality, which is hardly a flaw) view of life, which despite being very complex, is beautiful. The music that accompanies the texts makes the idea of beauty especially powerful. The instrumental arrangements are deeply enjoyable.

The album's romantic songs (Les Paravents Chinois, Violoncelle, La Moitié De Moi, Les loups) make the album irresistible, but the philosophical ones (L'Amour Est Juste, Les Tickets, Comédie Humaine) give it the depth and take it to a much higher category of an artistic endeavor.

But of course, what makes a Lavoie album a Lavoie album, is the vocals by Daniel Lavoie. Listen to him inhabit every piece of music he performs, listen to the voice that possesses an uncanny presence...