*** Hart Rouge
BEAUPRÉ'S HOME
(Red House)
The Canadian
roots-pop quintet make their US debut with a disc boasting three lead voices
singing in four different languages. The group's founding siblings -- Suzanne,
Michelle, and Paul Campagne -- grew up in a French-speaking Saskatchewan town,
where they apparently learned to rise above French-English conflicts. So you
hear both languages on the CD's bilingual opener, "Destination," which features
intuitive harmonies from Suzanne and Michelle backed only by light percussion.
Wise to the worth of silence amid singing, throaty alto Suzanne warmly caresses
Nanci Griffith's "Love at the Five and Dime." There's also a nice cover of Zack
Richard's "Sunset on Louisianne," a sad, subtle song about how industry brings
jobs even as it destroys the bayou ecosystem. And clear soprano Michelle shines
on an exotic a cappella Native American chant from Canada's Mic Mac
people.
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