Brigitte Fontaine

Coming to prominence in the '70s with a string of outstanding recordings on the French Saravah label, Brigitte Fontaine became a cult figure of world music, avant-pop, and folk before vanishing into obscurity after the extraordinary Vous et Nous album, which was released in 1977. Surfacing sporadically in the '80s, Brigitte Fontaine and longtime partner and collaborator Areski Belkacem were legends in their own time and highly influential on groups such as Sonic Youth and Stereolab. The pair resurfaced in 1990 and continued to produce and record throughout the decade with a newly revived career that was equally as idiosyncratic as their '70s work. Le Nougat was released in 1990, then another hiatus ensued until this album was released in late 1997. The influence of electronica and modern pop is evident in the heavy programming and drum'n'bass-inflected rhythms that may have the Brigitte Fontaine purist pining for the candid ambience of her '70s work, though more open-minded fans will find these exploratory directions delightful to hear. ~ Skip Jansen, Rovi