On ne sait jamais si c'est encore loin ou bien trop près

The number of times I've postponed writing about Gregory Lemarchal (actually Grégory Lemarchal, but please forgive the lack of accent in this post), you might think I'm not really a fan of his music--that couldn't be further from the truth; his self-titled debut album is, quite simply, amazing. Gregory overwhelmingly won the fourth season of Star Academy in France (with something like 80% of the vote). He's had a number of health problems both before and after his win--he has cystic fibrosis and, just this past summer, had to be hospitalized for an emergency operation (he's fine now, and is back making public appearances and singing). He's released just one album so far, but on October 23, a CD and DVD of one of his live performances will come out. If any of today's songs pique your interest, I definitely recommend getting the album; there's not a single track on it that's a let down, and you absolutely must hear the gorgeous "Je t'ecris," which is completely amazing (the build up near the end is beyond fabulous) but might not transfer well to the world of the music blog. The songs are just so much better in context, too.

Je suis en vie--there are many ways to do a ballad. You can make it understated, like Will Young's "Who Am I." You can make it bouncy, like Shayne Ward's "No Promises." Or, like Gregory Lemarchal, you can knock it out of the park in an epic, soaring tour-de-force, complete with pianos, electric guitars, and amazing vocals that could go over the top but never do. The drama in this song is incredible; "Je suis en vie" sweeps me off my feet every time I hear it.

Pardonne-moi--a more traditional (though not totally so) ballad--more understated and more plaintive, fitting for a song with a title like this.

Le feu sur les planches--I love how lifting this track is. Gregory's regular ballads (if this could be counted as a ballad) are gorgeous, but this slightly faster one is a welcome change (really, now that I think about it, it really isn't a ballad) and is just so pretty! "Bright" might be the right word for it.

Meme si (What You've Done) (with Lucie Silvas)--I'm including this because it (along with "Je suis en vie," "Ecris l'histoire," and "A corps perdu," I think) was a single and, because it's partially in English, it might be a little more accessible. It's a really sweet little duet, simple but effective. That sweet simplicity means it might not stand up to critics quite as well as other songs on the album, but it probably also makes it more radio-friendly. Lucie Silvas also recorded a version of this song with a Spanish singer. Lucie's voice is really pretty here, but Gregory holds his own, and the joining of their two voices near the song's end works fairly well.

To buy Gregory Lemarchal's debut album, Je Deviens Moi, go here (physical).

The mini-update on Anthony Callea (just be glad I managed to refrain from making the whole post about him): the single (which he has confirmed is a ballad) is called "Live For Love" and will be released November 4, but it will hit radios October 16 or earlier (which means, in a week and a half, we'll be able to hear it! I'm very excited--I'm sure that was very difficult to tell, right?--even if I'm very worried about liking it. I'll predict I won't madly love it, but that it'll be pretty good and the album overall will, hopefully, be really great). The album, called A New Chapter, is not a double album (mildly disappointing because I would have loved as many songs from him as possible, but hopefully it will sell better this way) will come out November 24 and will have "some great big ballads on it and some grittier pop/rock tracks." I'm all for pop/rock (especially because, in the world of Anthony, songs like "Rain" and "Hurts So Bad" seem to be categorized as pop/rock--it doesn't really mean rocky), but I must admit I am a little worried by the word "grittier." Grit is not inherently bad, but I just hope it's not grit that's just grafted on because it's popular with the public...we'll see how it ends up working out. Still, despite my worries, I am really, really, really excited about this album--it really could be phenomenal.

Oh, and, sadly, the spikes are not coming back, meaning we're stuck with Anthony's current hairstyle and I'll probably actually have to start using pictures of him that show that instead of his formerly excellent popstar hair--sad... ;)

Next up: just one song, by an American singer you all already know, I think.