Vanessa Paradis

Bliss is French chanteuse Vanessa Paradis‘ long-awaited fourth studio album – her first studio effort in eight years – and the title could not sum it up better. Whether you liked her 1992 self-titled English language album produced by Lenny Kravitz or the two French language discs that preceded it, Bliss is sure to please. Three tracks in English, 10 in French, truly not a bad one in the bunch. Easily the best French pop album released in 2000 and, to be sure, this is not teen pop (unlike much of her earlier work) but delightful art pop. Paradis has learned to write both lyrics and music during the past several years and co-wrote most of the songs this time around. The disc reunites her with Franck Langolff, who wrote the music for her first two albums, on two tracks including the first single, “Commando.” She’s also reunited with Kravitz camp producer and wurlitzer mastermind Henri Hirsch on “La La La Song,” arguably the album’s highlight. The way Paradis’ sugary vocals glide through the halcyon music on that track is truly delightful. (I should also note that actor Johnny Depp, her boyfriend, co-wrote two tracks and plays guitar on another.) Lyrically, Bliss is a 70/30 mix of poetic and sarcastic. “Commando” could be a mockery of modern-day rebels or a call for them to free Cuba, depending on how you look at it. Apart from the French language, it’s those double entendres that were missing from the Kravitz album and it’s nice to see her back in such waters.