Geneviève Racette

Geneviève Racette is another of my favourite Québec artists, who - similar to Véronique Bilodeau - I consider to be amongst the vanguard of the Nouvelle Vague of la belle province's music scene. So the discovery last week that she had just released her debut album "Les Aurores Boréales" was cause for much celebration as well as a bout of credit card abuse...

I first wrote about Geneviève a couple of years ago following the happy discovery of her crowd-funded eponymous EP, a collection of songs which were not only a gentle blend of Country-Folk and Pop but which also served noticed on Geneviève's relaxing vocals and note-perfect harmonisations...

Now a lot has happened over the past couple of years. Seems that it wasn't just myself who was entranced by Geneviève. Both "Bricolage" and "Multicolore" from her debut EP featured heavily on Sirius XM's Franco Radio, and she was also nominated by the station as the emerging Francophone artist of 2015 (pas mal!) Fast forward - and with a digital distribution deal through Les Disques Passport - she's now released her debut album.

Featuring 9 tracks, "Le Aurores Boréales" sticks pretty closely to the winning formula of her debut EP. There's definitely a Country-Folk hue to the well-crafted Pop and the album also dips its toes into the rich stream of "Americana." On this album Geneviève's songs traverse the somewhat rocky roads that romantic relationships often take; tales of loves won and lost; the trials and tribulations of the music biz, and her anxieties and battles with loneliness that are balanced with memories of happier times.

The album opens to "Le feu" and a tale of a love lost. While the fire still burns deep inside of Geneviève's heart, she's forced to admit that the embers have long since been extinguished by her ex; "...Y'a juste d’la fumée dans tes yeux, Moi, y a un volcan dans les miens, Y'a juste d’la fumée dans tes yeux, I guess que le feu, y s’est éteint..." / "..There's just smoke in your eyes, Me, there is a volcano in mine, There's just smoke in your eyes, I guess the fire there died...." Slide guitar notes lend an air of melancholy to the song's Country-inspired roots and matches the hint of regret in her voice.

And the theme of loves lost continues with "Noir et blanc." Tinged with sadness - Geneviève's multi-coloured aurora borealis has been rendered black and white as her memories fade to grey - it's a gentle pop-song with an uncomplicated guitar arrangement, effectively turning the song into a showcase for her faultless crystalline vocals and delicious, soaring harmonies - one which she completely nails.  

But just when you're beginning to think that Geneviève has had absolutely no luck with love she turns-out the heartwarming love-song "Clichés." With her gorgeous, warming vocals riding atop a gentle Country-Folk melody, the song extols all those time-worn clichés that lovers describe and tell each other over and over again, whilst carefully avoiding all the pitfalls that this particular that this particular genre is prone to rush head first towards. Instead even Louis-Jean Cormier gets a name-check. And sticking with the Country-Folk theme - I love how the slide guitar adds hint of warmth and tenderness to the song - "Maison d'oiseaux" is a reinterpreted version of the song that featured heavily on Radio-Canada's 'ICI Musique' last year. It's another spotless pop-song that is just tailor-made for Geneviève's warming and sympathetic vocal style.   


"Petit nid" is gloriously upbeat and doesn't so much hint at the roots of Americana as embrace it head-on as it strays into territory  so expertly captured by Laurence Hélie. Again the slide guitar adds depth and texture while Geneviève's vocals convey a palpable air of excitement. Meanwhile "Muette" departs from the trials and tribulations of being young and bouncing in and out of relationships as Geneviève conveys her struggles to be taken seriously by the music industry, which despite it being the theoretically enlightened 21st century is an all to oft repeated and depressing experience for female musicians. For all it's upbeat rhythm and bouncy melody, the reverbed guitar adds to the hint of anger and contempt in her voice. It's a powerful song that suggests that Geneviève is quite capable of straying from her comfort zone

"Les fleurs d'été" is by contrast a return to the heartwarming style of "Clichés." Everything about this song just feels right; the gentle folk-tinged pop, the honey-dripped soothing vocals and the note-perfect duet with Eric Charland on the song's chorus. This is a song all about growing old together, of facing life's challenges and overcoming them together. As Geneviève explains; "...Don't forget that the snow will melt, And that the sun will return..."

The album closes on this upbeat note with "Voiture aérienne à hélices" and a gentle, lilting melody that - quite apt really - floats on the cello-inspired middle-eight as it describes a magical journey in car that at a push of a button turns into an aeroplane ("...You never told me that your car could fly...")


Listening to this album however, you do get the distinct impression that Geneviève has had more than her fair share of broken hearts. Which leads me to my my favourite song on the album, "L'elan." Achingly sad - yet strangely beautiful, it's a tale that again conveys the struggle between realising it's over and trying to finally let go - to which the soaring refrain is to die for; "...Prends-moi dans tes bras, Une dernière fois, Serre-moi contre ton corps, J’ai besoin d’un élan pour m’envoler..." / "...Take me in Your arms, One last time, Hold me against your body, I need a boost to fly away..." However, the central theme to this song is the feeling of loneliness - the void - of her apartment; "...Je peux plus rester ici toute seule, Dans notre petit trois et demi, t’es plus là, Mais je te vois partout dans mes affaires, Toi, est-ce que tu penses à moi?" / "...I can stay here all alone, In our little three and a half, you're gone, But I see you all in my things, You, do you still think about me?..."

Critics might dismiss this album with a sneering 'easy listening' tag. And while it's true that there's nothing here that is pushing at musical boundaries, that's to totally miss the point. This is an album of simple songs that have been expertly crafted - soft and beautiful songs marry with emotive and from the heart lyrics that are perfectly suited to Country and Folk-tinged Pop melodies on display here. And then there's Geneviève's voice - sweet, dulcet and always note perfect - as harmonious as those of Les sœurs Boulay. Praise my friends, doesn't come much higher.

Yearlist.

Geneviève Racette (Website)
"Les Aurores Boréales" (Bandcamp)