Recto Verso

French folk/jazz singer extraordinaire, Zaz simply hits it out of the park on her second studio album. I've followed Zaz for years, and must admit that I was scared that I might have over-hyped this album to myself. It's rare that a singer can maturely evolve their sound without losing their special essence. To my utter delight, there isn't a sophomore slump in sight on this album. This album samples a broader range of music genres than Zaz's self-titled debut, yet Zaz's soulful and emotive singing is front and center at all times.Musically wise, the first thing that struck me--was that this album was much more guitar driven as opposed to piano driven. I must admit that I miss the driving piano and think in general that you can hear much more emotion in a piano than from a guitar, but the fact of the matter is--these new more guitar focused songs are just flat out awesome. "La lessive" is subtle and controlled, yet keeps popping back into my head. I think I miss the more piano like songs, as they remind me a bit more of Edith Piaf, but this is a fresher sound for Zaz. While she can nail the sultry powerful cabaret siren, the wandering street minstrel seems to be a bit truer to who Zaz is as a person, and I think it shows in her music as well."Si je perds" however is a haunting piano piece that just flows from the soul. Zaz is practically speaking, her tone is so light and soft yet the sorrow in her voice just cuts through. "Si" is another standout for me in a similar manner as "Si je perds" yet is a bit more forceful and gritty. Now, while Zaz's slower songs tend to be my favorites, I don't want to give the erroneous impression that this album is full of sad slow songs. Quite the contrary, about half of them are much more upbeat and incorporate a wide range of musical instruments like the cello, accordion and even some that I can't quite identify. "Nous debout" is an immediate standout that will definitely make you want to tap your toes and probably attempt to sing along as well.I do want to add that I don't speak or understand any French at all. Occasionally I hear a word that I may or may not recognize, but I certainly don't have any comprehension of what the songs are about unless I've previously looked the lyrics up. I write this to emphasize that Zaz simply makes music that transcends language. I would highly encourage anyone who enjoys Edith Piaf, Constance Amiot or even someone like Colbie Caillat to check out Zaz. Understanding of French not required to enjoy the beautiful and memorable experience that Zaz creates.

For those who really enjoyed the first album, they may not be as impressed with Zaz's sophomore record. Recto Verso is far less jazz oriented than the self-titled album, and the voids left by cutting away some of the jazz are filled by often pop-friendly licks. I do not believe that this is somehow a step down from her first album, it is just a little different. That being said, I think that there are more really good songs on this album than her debut album, most especially the opening track and Cette Journee (which has a near hip-hop feel to it). Now, I don't really listen to all the songs on this album, because a few of them don't really cut it for me (reference Oublie Loulou). So, even though the good songs are better, the rest are a little more skip-over worthy than those on her first album. J'ai Tant Escamote has some (in my opinion) disturbingly dark lyrics that are complemented well by the circus-like music, but that is probably going to be a love-it-or-hate-it song for most people. I also have had a couple of the songs grow on me that I did not initially find that fun to listen to, including Deterre (which reminds me vaguely of some Opeth work on their "Damnation" album), and Gamine, which is so poppy and prone to getting stuck in my head that I am beginning to think that the album should have come with a complementary quart of acetone. All in all, I think that Recto Verso could have had a couple songs less and been better for it, and I think many would agree with me on that point. Where the disagreement would come is in which songs could have been left out. But, in the words of the French, chacun a son gout.

Unfortunately one of the two CDS was defective. The other was good.

I was first turned on to Zaz by my sis-in-law, from Germany. I don't understand the words, but that doesn't stop me from loving this, and humming along :) She has got an incredibly wonderful voice, deep and textured. I like both sides of her musical style - the slow soulful and the upbeat stuff.My faves on this album (at the moment...) are Gamine, J'ai tant escamote, and Si. Close seconds are Cette journee, Comme ci comme ca, Deterre, and On ira. (Sorry, I can't add in the proper accent marks on any of these...) The only one I dislike is Oublie Loulou, especially coming right on the heels of Si.I work part time in a clothing boutique and play Zaz a lot in the shop. It's great music to work to!

I was listening to Zaz's second album "Recto Verso" and I just had to write a review.No whispering French singer here. Zaz's voice is bold and right out front of the instruments and I love it.I have her first album "ZAZ" and I love and enjoy that one too. But this one "Recto Verso" truly touches my creative soul.Listening to Track 14 "La Lune" makes me want to Tango - sooo bad! LOLEach and every song on this CD is a treasure.If you want a CD that truly has that French Feel - but one that also has a Striking Modern Twist - you absolutely can't go wrong with purchasing this CD. You will never regret buying this CD.Buy it - and enjoy!

This is a great album with great music. French pop trends to be hokey, but Zaz works with that without going there. It helps that she's a talented vocalist.The album is light and fun, but always seems tasteful. There's a lot of variety in the songs, and even though I don't speak French I was still able to enjoy them. (Zaz can easily convey emotions with her voice over a language barrier.) Many of the songs have an intimate feeling, and listening to this music is like sitting at a live performance.Highly recommended, especially if you need something to brighten your day.

I thought I had already reviewed this CD. Maybe not.I bought this by mistake, Amazon said to keep it. So naturally I played the bloody CD.It was wonderful. Kind of Music you want at your next party.yes yes yes.Buy this;a

Geralmente o que peço foi bem pesquisado. Não tenho reclamações.

Meh...

The second album by this amazing French singer/songwriter; this deluxe edition has 3 bonus tracks (there's a collector's edition out there with even more tracks) and it comes with a 34 minute DVD, all nicely packaged with a booklet that includes all the lyrics (in French only, no translations unfortunately).It's a good mix of contemporary pop/ballads with jazzy accompaniments and very good arrangements which serve to showcase her very stylish (and very French) approach.A lovely album, hugely enjoyable and terrifically musical – one doesn`t need to be a French-speaker to appreciate it's qualities.The CD has a playing time of 52.16 minutes.

I am fairly new to Zaz’s music, having only been listening to her on CD for a twelve couple of weeks now at the time of writing this review, but after listening to her first album – her eponymous album “Zaz”, I very quickly ordered her next two albums from Amazon and have now received her album “Recto Verso”.I’ve played it five or six times now and with the first listening to of it, I found that for me, there were so many stand out tracks, such as: “J’ai Tant Escamoté”, “Déterre”, “Si”, “Cette Journée”, “La Lune” and more music to get feet-tapping and body moving to, more feel good music from Zaz – wonderful! “Recto Verso” has a fantastic mix of songs and as one song plays I think “yes this could be my favourite” – at least until the next track starts and I realise that it is difficult to pick a favourite as the songs are all so very good! And with a little over 52 minutes of music, there’s plenty to listen to (those 52 minutes also includes eleven minutes of extra music with three extra tracks on the deluxe version CD).The “Recto Verso” deluxe version ((Play On, Sony Music, Jo & Co 8888372072) is beautifully presented in a cardboard 6 panel digipak arrangement. It comes with a 14 track CD (52 minutes), a 34 minute documentary DVD, and a 24 page booklet, which has song lyrics as well as beautiful artwork and photographs.Everything is in French, and so no English translations of lyrics or subtitles on the DVD are given (or should be expected to be there necessarily).As I don’t speak much French beyond ordering a couple of coffees or beers, I have been looking the lyrics up online and then googletransating them into English which is very helpful, and whilst that helps me to understand the songs better, the album (as with any song in any language) the album can still be enjoyed plenty without knowing the specifics of the lyrics as the music is so good and Zaz’s voice is so beautiful and full of sincere-ness (unlike much of the manufactured music of today)..

Now that her busking days in the Place du Tertre are long past and she has become animportant part of the French music scene, I note a slight change.In this new album there is a distinctive recall of the nostalgic jazz influence of thosepost war days in Paris.This is French music taken back to its roots by a very modern singer, and in a totallymodern style.There is still that earthy tone and phrasing, recalling the heyday of Piaff.But, Zaz is unique, she is not a Pop musician but something unique and a new genre onthe stage of French chanteuse.