FRANCESCA BLANCHARD – Deux Visions (Vis-À-Vis VAV-CD-60)

Deux VisionsFrancesa Blanchard’s first full-length album, Deux Visions, is picking up a lot of interest for the debut of a relative unknown. Francesca was born in France and raised in Vermont and writes and sings naturally in both English and French.

It’s almost a reflex to talk of French chanson but Francesca isn’t like that. The opening track, ‘Rame’ (Row), has the organ and pedal steel of country music – it doesn’t even travel south to Cajon country – but happens to be sung in French. Francesca helpfully provides translations in both directions and it is instructive to study the lyrics. The English version of ‘Rame’, for example, conveys the meaning of the song but completely loses the poetry of the original language. Similarly, the final line of ‘Tu N’existes Pas’ is actually “Non, tu n’es pas exactement vrai” – open to a subtly different translation. This happens in other songs, too, as though Francesca is playing linguistic games with us.

‘Home Is A Cage’ is a song of longing and loneliness, a sad story sketched in a few lines for the listener to colour in the details. ‘Wanderer’ and ‘Now That You Are Gone’ are both travelling songs looking at loneliness from a different point of view. Francesca plays acoustic guitar and sometimes relies on it but producer Chris Velan plays electric and the small band provides strings and brass as well as drums and bass and sometimes there seems to be more going on than is credited in print. This is an intriguing and sophisticated album and Francesca is only in her mid-twenties – there’s a lot more to look forward to.

Dai Jeffries

Artist’s website: www.francescablanchard.com

‘Wanderer’ – official video:

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