Zaz: a treasure beneath the surface

Je veux, written and performed by up-and-coming chanteuse Zaz was declared "song of the summer" in France last year. The song, some sort of manifesto dedicated to the real pleasures in life, brought out many of the charms of its auteur: irreverence, authenticity and a delightful sense of liberté. Summer songs tend to be underestimated because they use to be just catchy and shallow, but when you listen to the rest of the songs included in Zaz (2010), you'll be able to find more than a few wonders. Her music is accessible indeed, but it's also profound in many ways. Her shaky, strong voice gets support from an ensemble of musiciens de rue (acoustic bass and guitar players) you could encounter on any street of Montmartre -an urban trait that might be the most alluring and enjoyable feature of the album. Lots of fans and critics have called Zaz "La petite Edith Piaff" because of the similarity in her voice, but I'd dare to say that there it has also some resemblance to Piaff's tough character. Comparisons aside, Zaz remains as an astonishing emerging artist who is already revitalizing la chanson francaise.

This is the video for La fée