Liam Carey reviews

Distributed by
Polydor/Universal

• Year: 2001
• Rating: 9/10
• Cat. No: 5498302

Track listing:

1. Moi... Lolita
2. Lui Ou Toi
3. L'Alize
4. J.B.G.
5. Mon Maquis
6. Parler Tout Bas
7. Veni Vedi Vici
8. Abracadabra
9. Gourmandises
10. A Quoi Reve Une Jeune Fille

Banish any notion of Eurovision-style naffness or derivative trance pop now so closely associated to the Gallic nations and their immediate neighbours. Alizee - a sensation in her home country of France - is a classic, proper popstar.

This 17-year old has been groomed by the considerable writing/production team behind Mylene Farmer, the only female artist even bigger than she has become and the established First Lady of French pop therefore has a hands-on role herself. Indeed, there is little difference between the type of infectious uptempo confections and sweeping, atmospheric ballads showcased on Gourmandises and that which Farmer has recorded over the last 15 years or more.

Moi... Lolita, the borderline-risqu=E9 smash hit single that crossed over into the UK Top 10 early in 2002, and the moodier, downtempo Lui Or Toi set the tone for the accomplished balance of the two essential Alizee styles. Although sung entirely in her native tongue, the melodies are so sparkling and beguiling that it matters little in the long run, as the 10 tracks seem to fly past in but a brief instant.

Ultimately, it appears that her record label's UK branch consider the British public unwilling to embrace more than a one-off slice of Alizee, with neither of her other European hits that followed Moi...Lolita - the superior L'Alize (confusingly missing the final "e") and centrepiece ballad Parler Tout Bas - unreleased as yet, and as time passes it looks more unlikely still.

Somewhat surprisingly for such a youthful starlet, Alizee handles the darker, slower material with impressive ease (Mon Maquis is simply divine), helped - as on the rest of Gourmandises - by a wonderfully empathetic, classy arrangement and production.

Forget the risible, dispiriting Pop Idol and other various nonsense emanating from the British Isles, for the best pop music of the moment, look no further than a short distance across the Channel.

Review copyright © Liam Carey, 2002.