Red Hot Rouge Ardent

All of a sudden it appears that record labels are waking up to the fact that there is a demand for French music over on this side of The Pond. Perhaps the RIAA and the Muzak Biz have belatedly cottoned on to the fact that if you make music available, people will ACTUALLY buy it rather than just pirate it...

But firstly, a small confession. 

I've never been a huge fan of Axelle Red. Sure, I'd retrospectively discovered 1996's "À Tâtons", a superb fusion of  Memphis Soul, Nashville Country and French "Je ne Sais quoi", but for some unknown reason we'd never really hit it off; She's always had "The Voice", but similar to my review of Alizée "5", I'd never fully "gotten" into her albums. I guess this is more my fault than hers, but there were always other artists and discoveries which prevented me giving her a second chance. But then there was this post on my favourite French music blog... and a recent email from one of my providers of choice for quality MP3 downloads...
 
Rouge Ardent is Belgian singer / songwriter Axelle Red's ninth studio album and to these ears it's easily her best. With this collection of 10 thoughtful, introspective songs, she appears to have drawn from all of her 20 year career to pull together an incredibly soulful album.

The album opens with "Amour profund", a great upbeat number with a wall of horns and percussion that, dare I say, reminds me in part of Dusty Springsfield's classic "Memphis" album. All wrapped and delivered with Axelle's distinctive vocals...

There's a certain humility to the album, especially on the slower numbers (for instance "C'est une ville", "Je te l'avais dit") and in particular "Quelque part allieurs", a beautiful plaintive love-song built around crystal vocals and a simple piano. Meanwhile and in contrast the aforementioned "Rouge Ardent" literally boils with intensity.

However, it's a little unfair to pick out a mere handful of tracks (oh alright then, I love the haunting "Sur La Route Sablée"). Talents as diverse as Stephan Eicher, Albert Hammond and the cream of Memphis musicians including Lester Snell and Booker T drummer Steve Potts, all contribute to make this a tight, expertly crafted masterpiece of a record. 

I mentioned at the start of this review that this was a soulful album. It's actually a Soul album. Seventeen years after "À Tâtons" , Axelle returns with a beautiful homage to Memphis and the home of Stax.

 

Axelle Red Website (in FR /NL / EN)

Axelle Red Wiki

Axele Red "Rouge Ardent"