It comes as a surprise that Paris Combo's diva, Belle du Berry once sung in a punk band.  Her silky voice which slides around notes and wraps around sultry melodies, compliments of French swing, jazz and Parisian cafe fare, finds itself in a world light-years away from punk music.  True Belle's lyrics hint at injustice and bad politics, where greedy politicians steal their wealth from the poor (Baron de chaise) or anti-marriage (Baguee), with the sentiments, that is so bourgeois.  She sings about being poor in a consumer society, (Prete a porter) and life lived through TV (Aquarium).  But unless you know French, you would just think she was singing songs of amour, especially when Belle's lyrics top off lovely string arrangements and moody jazz.

I especially like the sedate, Etoile Pale, which sports a gorgeous melody, but is "a song about losing someone dear."  Most if not all of the songs carry a social message. Yet, I find myself just wanting to soak in the melodies and the lovely French phrasing.  I am thankful for my rudimentary knowledge of the French language.  Although perhaps we can compare savory melodies with witty philosophical lyrics to a trip to a cafe where people sip designer coffee while quietly ranting about the state of the world.  At least in the case, of Paris Combo's latest release, Motifs we don't feel jittery.  Even the CDs photography and design is whimsical.  Perhaps combo which includes, Potzi on guitar, David Lewis on trumpet, bugle, piano, melodica, Mano Razanajato on double bass, vocals and Francois Jeannin on drums, didn't want to come off as lightweight, performing sweet melodies with little substance or if you want to use a metaphor, would you like some coffee with that sugar?  You can get your coffee sans sucre here if you like.  It's all a matter of perception.

Motifs sports Belle's weary view of the world, but one can hardly be weighed down by her social commentaries with all these beautiful melodies swirling about.  And in any case, Belle pens more metaphors than news headlines.  She possesses a great deal of French wit.  Her philosophies are more quaint than biting and she's not going to bring on yawns from American listeners the way that say an early Jean-Luc Godard film would with all of its characters philosophizing about everything under the sun.  In the end, Motifs is a fun French pop album laced with Django Reinhardt sensibility, (check out Potzi's gypsy guitar on Discordance).  Motifs is for those music fans who like a bit of wit with their cappuccino.  Even non-coffee drinkers such as myself, get a kick out of Paris Combo's latest CD.  Koch Records & Paris Combo

PLH
* Pardon all my coffee puns, I couldn't resist.*