Alpha Blondy: TV5 Monde Acoustic session

Who doesn't love a bit of French reggae?

Great to see a session at the weekend on TV5Monde's Acoustic show by Alpha Blondy, one of the biggest names in the genre.

Blondy, originally from the Ivory Coast, has been one of the biggest reggae stars in France since the early 80s. His new album Human Race is classic reggae with a modern edge.

It's an interesting session, with the focus on his recently released Human Race album. Of particular note is his performance of Serge Gainsbourg's Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais that appears on the album as well as in this session.

While Gainsbourg was a big fan of reggae, with two of his 70s albums landmarks of the genre, the original version of this song pre-dates his Jamaican period. Nice to hear it getting a sympathetic cover. If you're a fan of Gainsbourg, you'd be well advised to investigate it.

Other songs in he performance are Human Race, Life, Les Paiens as well as two brief interview segments.

Dominique A: TV5Monde Acoustic session

I've been catching up on a few things I'd missed over the past few weeks, and thought the live session by Dominique A from TV5Monde was a great performance that really deserved a mention here, even if it was originally broadcast a few weeks ago.

Dominique A was on the show to perform tracks from his new album Tout Latitude, his 11th collection, the first of two albums he's got planned for 2018.

Following the tour for his Eléor album he spoke about how he found himself inspired by contradictory ideas.

His electric tour inspired him to write more acoustic songs that were strong on melody, but he also found himself simultaneously drawn towards more rhythmic and repetitive work.

He took these two strands, separated them and came up with the content for two differently flavoured releases.

His performance on Acoustic gave him the opportunity to showcase some of his new work, and to discuss it with the show's host.

#acoustic: Arcadian on @tv5monde

Another strong edition of TV5Monde's music show Acoustic, with a set by Arcadian.

The band, a trio of Jérôme, Florentin and Yoann have the kind of sound that fits the format of the show perfectly and they emerged from the fifth season of the TV show The Voice.

Their self-titled debut album was re-issued in November with extra tracks, the album already featuring the tracks Folie arcadienne and Ton combat.

Arcadian are in the middle of a tour of France that has dates until April, and they play at the Bataclan in Paris tonight.

Tracks performed include Ou je serai demain?, Les sables emouvants, Ton combat, Carmen - their cover of the Stromae song - Folie arcadienne and La fuite.

BB Brunes: Live set on Acoustic on TV5Monde

I've not followed TV5Monde's Acoustic show as regularly as I should have in recent months, and as a consequence I've been looking back at some of the recent sessions that I've missed.

Standing out is the set from October by BB Brunes, one of France's brightest modern rock acts.

This year marks ten years since the band released their Blonde comme moi debut album, a top ten hit in France that established them as one of France's most popular rock bands of their generation.

It's been five years since they released Long Courrier, an album that featured regularly on this blog.
BB Brunes recently released their fourth album entitled Puzzle, described as a more dance-orientated collection.

BB Brunes are touring France extensively form January until April next year and play the Elysee Montmartre in Paris on February 14.

The Acoustic show also an interview with Berald Crames and Adrien Gallo.

The tracks played during the session include Pyromane, Éclair Éclair, Lalalove U, Coups et blessures and Terrain vague.

Rover: Acoustic session

A great session featuring Rover on Acoustic this week, the music show on TV5Monde.

Tracks featured on the show include Call My Name, Some Needs, HCYD, Along and Innerhum.

The show also features interviews with Rover, the singer known to his family and friends as Timothée Régnier.

Rover's second album Let it Glow was released at the end of last year.

Selah Sue: TV5Monde Acoustic session

A new edition of Acoustic, the music show on TV5Monde, with solo artist Selah Sue making her debut on the programme.

Her Reason album was released in March this year, a top three album in Fance and a follow-up to her massively successful self-titled debut album from 2011.

The programme included brief interview  segments with host Sébastien Folin.

Tracks played include Alone, Reason, Raggamuffin, Feel and Always Home.

Feu! Chatterton: Acoustic session

Another quality session this week on Acoustic, the music show on TV5Monde.

It was the turn or Feu! Chatterton, who released their debut album Ici le Jour (a tout enseveli) earlier this month.

The programme also sees the band in conversation with host Sébastien Folin.

 Feu! Chatterton are currently on tour, having played a sold-out show at Le Trianon in Paris  on October 19. They're playing there again on December 11 and on January 27, having just published a list of dates for January, February and March next year.

Tracks played in the session were  Le Pont Marie, Côté Concorde, Boeing and La mort dans la pinède

Jehro: Acoustic session

A new edition of Acoustic, the music show on TV5Monde, and this week's session comes from Jehro.

The Marseille-born artist released his Bohemian Soul Songs album on 2015.

Since his 199 debut L'arbre et le fruit, he's been nominated for  the Prix Constantin for his 2006 Jehro album, and picked up a Victoire de la musique award on 2012 for his Cantina Paradise collection released the previous year.

The show features brief interview segments conducted by Sébastien Folin.

Songs performed in the session include Everything, Waiting my life, If I could change the world, How long and Tonight tonight.

La Grande Sophie: Acoustic session

A new edition of Acoustic, the music show on TV5Monde, with the spotlight this week on La Grande
Sophie.

The session follows the release of her Nos histoires album, her seventh collection since her 1997 La Grande Sophie s'agrandit.

 Her last album, 2012's La Place du fantôme reached the top ten in France.

 She's touring at the moment with dates scheduled until February, including a show at the Trianon in Paris on November 26.

Tracks featured on her session are Les portes claquent, Hanoï, Ma colère, Maria Yudina and Ne m'oublie pas.

Zaza Fournier: Acoustic session

A new edition of Acoustic, the music programme on TV5Monde.

This week the spotlight falls on Zaza Fournier, a singer songwriter with a jazz styled modern take on chanson.

The Paris based artist released her third album Le Départ in March this year.

Her self-titled debut was released in 2008, and she followed it with 2011's Regarde-moi.

Tracks featured in the session include 16 ans et demi, Paupières closes, Garçon, La jeune fille aux fleurs and Hôtel des Acacias, all songs that feature on her recent album.

Les Innocents: Acoustic session

A live set on Acoustic, the TV music show on TV5Monde by Les Innocents.

The duo of Jean-Philippe Nataf and Jean-Christophe Urbain had considerable success in the 80s and 90s, but split in 1999.

They reformed in 2013, and released their most recent album Mandarine this year after an absence

The session on Acoustic features tracks from the new collection as well as a couple of older numbers. There is also an interview with Nataf and Urbain.

Tracks featured included Harry Nilsson, Love qui peut,  L'autre finistère, Philharmonies martiennes and Confession d'un vieux serpent.

Cali: Acoustic

Another episode of Acoustic, the French music show on TV5Monde, and  this week the spotlight
falls on Cali.

2015 saw the release of his L'Âge d'or album, his latest release in a career that got under way with the band Indy in 1995,  his first solo album coming in 2003.

The programme features songs from his latest album as well as a brief interview.

Tracks broadcast were Le coeur chargé comme un fusil, La vie quoi!, Coco, and Tout ce qui ne reviendra plus.

Marina Kaye: Acoustic session

A session on the TV5Monde music show Acoustic by singer Marina Kaye.

Kaye won the 2011 season of  La France a un incroyable talent, the country's version of Britain's Got Talent.

The title track of the Marseille born singer's  EP Homeless topped the French charts in 2014, and In May this year she released her debut album Fearless.

The edition of Acoustic featured songs from that album.

The programme also included brief interviews with her conducted by Sébastien Folin

Tracks in this session include Dancing with the Devil, Dark Star, Homeless , Freeze you out and Live before I die.

Thomas Dutronc: Acoustic session

A return of the Acoustic music show on TV5Monde with style, with a set by Thomas Dutronc.

The new series is the 14th series of the show, and artists on tis series include Marina Kaye, Cali and Les Innocents.

Tracks on the first session of the series include Qui je suis, Allongés sur l'herbe, Aragon and his cover of Gainsbourg's  Chez les Yé-yé.

Dutronc recently released his third album, Éternels jusqu'à demain, following Comme Un Manouche Sans Guitare  from 2007 and 2011's  Silence On Tourne, On Tourne En Rond.

His new album features the tracks performed on the session.

There's also a brief interview on the show with Dutronc by Sébastien Folin.

Jeanne Added: Acoustic session

A great live session on Acoustic, the music show on TV5Monde, featuring Jeanne Added.

Jeanne Added released her debut album Be Sensational was released earlier this month, following the release of  A War is Coming as a single in December , the track featuring on a three-track EP in February.

The session featured A War is Coming, Look at Them, It, Miss it All, and Suddenly, along with brief interview clips.

Jeanne Added has an extensive tour from July until the end of the year, with sets at festivals across France over the summer including Les Eurockéens, Les Francofolies and Rock En Seine.

She plays La Cigale in Paris on October 20

Luce: Acoustic session

A session by Luce for Acoustic, the music show on TV5Monde.

Luce initially came to prominence when she won the eighth series of the French music competition Nouvelle Star in 2010.

She released her debut album in 2011, which reached number 11 in the French charts.

Luce's  second album Chaud was released in 2015, with the song Malibu released as a clip last week. Polka was released as a single in February.

The session was originally broadcast at the end of last month,  it features the tracks Malibu, Vernis, Polka , Chat doux, Ton Crane and Sable,  as well as interview segments.

Luce has live dates at Festivals around France over the summer, and plays at the Théâtre Antoine in Paris on November 16.

Gaël Faure: Acoustic session

A session on Acoustic, the music show on TV5Monde by singer songwriter Gaël Faure.

Gaël Faure was involved in 2005 in the fourth season of TV talent show Nouvelle Star, reaching the semi final.

Christophe Willem would eventually win the series.

Despite offers, he held off  his career as a solo artist until 2007,  his debut album emerging the following year. Jardin en ville was recorded in Paris and London and it saw him emerge as a poetic and talented singer songwriter.

He released his second album, De silences en bascules, in 2014.

Songs featured this week include Comme si, Tu me suivras, Un peu, Chateaux de sable  and Pour qu'un jour.

Akhenaton - Acoustic session

A recent live session by rapper Akhenaton for the TV5Monde music programme Acoustic.

The programme casts its net wider than its title might suggest, and doesn't just feature acoustic singer/songwriter types by any means.

Akhenaton is something of a French hip hop legend, famous particularly for his involvement in Marseille act IAM, whose L'École du Micro d'Argent album is regarded as the classic of French Hip Hop.

He's also had a successful solo career, from his Métèque et mat collection onwards to his most recent Je suis en vie album from 2014.

many of the tracks performed in the session from from this album.

The session featured the songs Même les anges, Deuxième chance , Saga, Mon texte le savon, Part III and Côté obscur.

Acoustic session: Klô Pelgag

A session on TV5Monde's Acoustic music show by French Canadian singer Klô Pelgag.

Klô Pelgag, known to her friends and family as Chloé Pelletier-Gagnon has been active since 2009, releasing her first EP in 2009.

Her debut album, entitled  L'Alchimie des monstres was realeased in 2013.

The session features the numbers La fièvre des fleurs,  Comme des rames, Le silence épouvantail, Les maladies de coeur and Tunnel.

There are also a couple of brief interviews with the young singer/songwriter on the programme.

Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine: Acoustic session

A session by Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine for Acoustic, the music programme on TV5Monde.

Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine has had a long career since the late 1970s as a songer-songwiter, from his 1978 debut Tout corps vivant branché sur le secteur étant appelé à s'émouvoir, a collection with a typically lengthy title.

His most recent album was 2014's Stratégie de l'inespoir album, some of the titles from that album are performed during the session

Songs in this session included Stratégie de l'inespoir, Fenêtre sur désert,    Angélus, a French cover of the Cat Stevens song Father and Son, retitled Père et fils and La Ruelle des morts.

There are also brief interviews with Thiéfaine by presenter Sébastien Folin.