Carte Postale

The melancholy title track that opens Carte Postale announces that Francis Cabrel will not be content to churn out bottomless clone albums. It's not the melancholy tone of the song (he'd done that before), but rather the way he sings it and uses all possible resources to reinforce the mood that point up Cabrel's more intense approach. He continues to reach for different effects with his voice and instrumentation on the first half of the album as he moves through different styles. It is true some of the vocal affectations may be missteps, but it is always rewarding to hear an artist move with emotion and confidence. Interestingly enough, the second set of songs on the album is very solid (no fillers here), making this the most consistent album of Cabrel's career to date. Standout songs include "Ma place dans le trafic" and "Comme une madone oubliee."