Performer Notes

Adapter: Graeme Allwright.
Personnel: Alain Bashung (harmonica); Mark Plati (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, baritone guitar, dobro, melodica, piano, organ, Mellotron, programming); Ga‰tan Roussel (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, ukulele, piano); M. Ward (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Marc Ribot (electric guitar, dobro, banjo); Arman M‚liŠs (electric guitar, banjo); Gerry Leonard (electric guitar); Marc Muller (lap steel guitar, dobro); Christophe Pochet, Dirk Uten, Bart Lemmens, Marian Tach‚, Annelies Broeckhoven (violone); Hans Vandaele, Karel Steylaerts (cello); Martyn Barker (drums, bongos, percussion); Shawn Pelton (drums).
Audio Mixer: Mark Plati.
Recording information: Alice's Restaurant, New York, NY; Buzz Studio, Paris, France; ICP Studios, Bruxelles, Belgium; Jackpot Studios, Portland, Jamaica; Looking Glass Studios, New York, NY.
Photographer: Ludovic Careme.
Released a year before Alain Bashung died of lung cancer on March 14, 2009, at the age of 61, Bleu P‚trole serves as a superb swan song for the chanson legend. This final full-length effort was a laudable comeback for Bashung, who hadn't released a new studio album since L'Imprudence (2002), and it returned him to the top of the French charts for the first time in six years. In some ways, Bleu P‚trole is similar to L'Imprudence. While that album was written in collaboration with Jean Fauque and Christophe Miossec, Bleu P‚trole is written in collaboration with Ga‰tan Roussel of the band Louise Attaque and G‚rard Manset, a contemporary of Bashung's whose career likewise goes back to the late '60s. Roussel is also credited with producing the album, along with multi-instrumentalist Mark Plati. Moreover, both albums were critically acclaimed as latter-day masterpieces. The difference is, whereas L'Imprudence is often described as a noir album, a somber and tortured portrait of an aging man, Bleu P‚trole is more luminous. Among the several highlights of the album are "R‚sidents de la R‚publique" and "Sur un TrapŠze," both written solely by Roussel. Manset contributes another couple standouts, the nine-minute album centerpiece "Comme un Lego," and his 1975 hit "Il Voyage en Solitaire," the latter of which closes Bleu P‚trole (and in turn the recording career of Bashung) on a perfect note. Beside the contributions of Roussel and Manset, there's a wistful cover version of Graeme Allwright's adaption of Leonard Cohen's folk classic "Suzanne." In addition to the songs themselves, Bleu P‚trole is impressive from a musical standpoint. A trio of accomplished guitarists (Roussel, Marc Ribot, Arman M‚liŠs) infuse the album with touches of rock, the rhythm section (comprised of Plati and several others) leans toward jazz, and the string arrangements supply an air of grandness. Furthermore, the music varies from song to song; for instance, "V‚nus" relies almost entirely on a string arrangement and a tiny bit of banjo, and then, three songs later, "Je Tuerai la Pianiste" is driven by a powerful bass riff and blasts of electric guitar. ~ Jason Birchmeier

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