Voila (album)

Voila is the seventh studio album by the American singer Belinda Carlisle, released in 2007. It was Carlisle's first studio album in over a decade, and is a covers album of "classic French chansons and pop standards",[7][8] much different from Carlisle's previous English language pop records.

For other uses, see Voila (disambiguation).

Voila
Studio album by
Belinda Carlisle
ReleasedFebruary 5, 2007
Recorded2007
Genre
LabelRykodisc
ProducerJohn Reynolds
Belinda Carlisle chronology
A Place on Earth: The Greatest Hits
(1999)		 Voila
(2007)		 The Collection
(2014)
Singles from Voila
  1. "I Still Love Him (promo)[1]"
    Released: 2007
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Boston Phoenix[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB[4]
Record Collector[5]
The Times[6]

The album was critically praised however did sell moderately. Although all of the songs are sung in French, many of the musicians featured on the album are Irish. The album features keyboard arrangements from Brian Eno.

Background

In an October 2006 press release describing the album, Carlisle said "After I moved to France, I became familiar with the classic French chansons and a lot of French pop music. I realized there was a whole world of artists and singers I was not familiar with. As I discovered all these amazing songs, I came to love this music and wanted to record some of them with a playful, contemporary feel."[7][8]

Describing how music can transcend any language barrier Carlisle stated, "You don't really have to know what's being sung to know that 'Avec Les Temps' [sic] is a devastating love song. When I heard that song the first time, it broke my heart."[7][8]

Upon the album's initial release, a limited edition version was available with a bonus second CD featuring four additional tracks sung in English. Despite the favourable reviews, Allmusic wrote "... not just a rewarding detour but one of her best albums", in the US, the album sold a modest 3,000 copies in its first two weeks.[9]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ma jeunesse fout le camp"Guy Bontempelli3:16
2."Bonnie et Clyde"Serge Gainsbourg5:15
3."Avec le temps"Léo Ferré4:06
4."Sous le ciel de Paris"
4:42
5."Des ronds dans l'eau"
2:55
6."Pourtant tu m'aimes"
3:27
7."Ne me quitte pas"Jacques Brel3:17
8."La Vie en rose"
4:23
9."Contact"Gainsbourg2:57
10."Merci Chérie"
3:34
11."Jezebel"Wayne Shanklin3:18
Limited edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Still Love Him"
3:26
2."La Vie en rose" (English version)
4:22
3."Bonnie and Clyde"Gainsbourg5:14
4."If You Go Away"
3:17

Personnel
  • Belinda Carlisle – vocals
  • Natacha Atlas – additional vocals on "Ma jeunesse fout le camp", "La Vie en rose", "Bonnie et Clyde" and "Des ronds dans l'eau"
  • Brian Eno – keyboards
  • Sagat Guirey – flamenco guitar
  • Graham Henderson – accordion
  • Winnie Horan – violins
  • Clare Kenny – bass guitar
  • Fiachna Ó Braonáin – guitars and vocals, male vocal on "Bonnie et Clyde"
  • John Reynolds – drums, programming
  • Nicki Leighton-Thomas – backing vocals
  • Pauline Scanlon – backing vocals
  • Sharon Shannon – button accordion
  • Julian Wilson – piano, Hammond B-3, strings, keyboards
  • John Reynolds – production

References
  1. "Belinda Carlisle - I Still Love Him". Discogs.
  2. Allmusic review
  3. The Boston Phoenix review
  4. Entertainment Weekly review
  5. Blase, Caroline (November 21, 2007). "Voila! - Record Collector Magazine". Record Collector. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  6. The Times review Archived June 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Billboard Bits: Paul McCartney, Family Values, Belinda Carlisle". Billboard.com. October 10, 2006. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  8. "Belinda Carlisle - Newsarchive". Belindacarlisle.50webs.com. November 16, 2006. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  9. "Ask Billboard". Billboard.com. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
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