Douce France

AMG Review of Douce France

Thom Jurek
All Music Guide

Living Era puts real work into their reissues of historic recordings. Douce France by Charles Trenet is no exception. These two discs contain nearly two and a half hours of Trenet at the beginning and at his best, covering the years 1935-1950. Trenet was a giant and a legend, part myth, part incredible persona. He was France's equivalent of Frank Sinatra, though his style was decidedly different and was somehow more because he was a prolific songwriter as well. A terrific balladeer, his gorgeous baritone is captured on his earliest sides, like "La Mer" and "Verlaine." His range as both singer and songwriter ran from the sublime (the aforementioned, plus "Marie, Marie" and "Mes Jeunes Années") to the silly ("Boum!" and "Pigeon Vole"). But he took all of his inspiration -- even during the War Years -- as his muse. This is a fine introduction as well as a tremendous compilation for collectors.