was a French singer/songwriter, sort of before there was , before existed. Anarchic, and blessed with a devastating, deflating wit, his music never traveled like the others. is a former American indie kid, half French, who rediscovered his passion for and has made this labor of love, with new translations and new arrangements of the material. It's delightful stuff, and has brought everything perfectly alive, airing ' moral sketches with real joy, and exposing listeners to a remarkable composer. Mixing instruments like guitar, charango, clarinet, and lap steel is inspired, since it doesn't root the music in any special tradition. There are touches of jazz, and it's undoubtedly French chanson at its root. It's all delightfully cynical and world-weary, with plenty of wit. Most of all, it makes you hope that there are more songs that can record. ~ Chris Nickson