Julie Blanche

From time to time I've mentioned Les Francouvertes, the annual French-Canadian music festival held in Montreal and which acts as a showcase for emerging francophone artists. Indeed, many of the finalists have appeared in these very pages; Émilie Proulx, Fanny Bloom, Chloé Lacasse, the all-conquering Les sœurs Boulay and those crazy Chiac-parlezing, New Brunswick interlopers, Les Hay Babies. Indeed the runner-up of the 2014 edition, Julie Blanche featured back in the June of last year. As I enthused over her auto-financed EP I commented that - given the obvious talent on display - this was not so much of a showcase but more of a teaser from an artist that I hoped would grace this blog again... 

And so to the first week of March and - having now signed with Coyote Records - it's probably fair to say that Julie Blanche's eponymously-titled debut album is one of two released this week that are nailed-on yearlist material (in Francophone Canada the album has received rave reviews and is already being considered as a candidate for album of the year).

The album comprises ten haunting and melancholy bitter-sweet vignettes that feel intensely personal and semi-biographical. The opening song, "Deux visages", sets the mood - a tale of those two inter-twinned emotions love and hate (the two faces of the song's title) which is perfectly framed by the stillness of Julie's voice, beautifully counterpoised as it is by the richness of the accompanying strings and French horn. Indeed, it's this richness - noticeable in all of the compositions - that lends an underlying warmth to proceedings and which prevents the album from ever becoming over-sentimental or maudlin. 

As I've mentioned, every song on this album tells a story, each one an episode imbued with love, hope, despair or contempt. As I listen to this album it dawns on me that it feels as if I'm intruding into Julie's private thoughts and memories, and to write about them would somehow be wrong...  

If "Deux visages" is a tale of torn emotions, "Le manège" would seem to be one of a lover scorned - "je laisserai les autres parler de toi, ils ont tellement à dire (I will let others talk about you, they have so much to say)" - there's the underlying edginess that ripples not far below the surface of "Au bout de la nuit" and again on "Comme un décor" - benefiting from a subtle new arrangement from that of the earlier EP - with it's lyrics that hint at loss and betrayal; "La maison d'hier" - in many respects this is still a favourite - hits you again and again with it's pounding metronomic beat... 

But there are lighter moments as well. The wistfulness of "Le fleuve au complet" and the ethereal "Presque"; the album's closing number "La vie facile" (written by the Québec director and musician Stéphane Lafleur) and a heart-warming reminiscence of a life lived to the full. 

Similar to Stéphanie Lapointe and her stunning album "Les amours parallèles" this album is very much a team affair, from the outstanding musicianship, to Antoine Corriveau - Julie's long-time collaborator and partner - composer and songwriter of the majority of the album's compositions and producer Mathieu Charbonneau, all deserve a lot of the credit for the masterful way in which this album has been put together... But ultimately every song is held by Julie's captivating voice...  

If I were forced to compare Julie to any of her contemporaries, Salomé Leclerc would be the artist who springs immediately to mind. There's the same assuredness and eye for detail, the same emotion conveyed in her voice.

Yes, Julie Blanche is that good and the album is indeed exceptional...

Yearlist

Julie Blanche  Website
Julie Blanche "Julie Blanche" (Bandcamp), (Coyote Records)