Patricia Kaas' 2002 release Piano Bar is a lovely, seductive collection of romantic mood music, pulled directly from the chanteuse tradition but sounding utterly contemporary.
Some credit must go to producer/arranger Michel Legrand, who keeps the polished surface softly glimmering, yet this is merely a stage for Kaas, whose vocals are never flashy, but always alluring.
The album consists primarily of mid-20th century songs from such stalwart European composers as Charles Anzavour and Jacques Brel, who were covered frequently during the '60s by European and American singers alike.
As such, Piano Bar can feel a bit like a '60s vocal pop album at times in terms of approach and material, but Legrand's synth-heavy arrangements help bring it into the modern era as much as Kaas' unhurried delivery.
The end result is a lovely, winning album, another fine recording by a fine vocalist.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | My ManJacques Charles, Channing Pollack, Albert Willemetz, Maurice Yvain | Patricia Kaas | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 2 | Un Homme et une FemmePierre Barouh, Francis Lai | Patricia Kaas | Play | 03:19 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 3 | SyracuseBernard Dimey, Henri Salvador | Patricia Kaas | Play | 03:28 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | If You Go AwayJacques Brel, Rod McKuen | Patricia Kaas | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 5 | What Now My Love | Patricia Kaas | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 21 MB |
| 6 | The Summer Knows | Patricia Kaas | Play | 03:54 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 7 | I Wish You Love | Patricia Kaas | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 8 | Yesterday When I Was Young | Patricia Kaas | Play | 03:53 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 9 | Les Moulins De Mon Coeur | Patricia Kaas | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 10 | Autumn Leaves | Patricia Kaas | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 11 | Where Do I Begin | Patricia Kaas | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 12 | La Mer | Patricia Kaas | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 13 | And Now... Ladies And Gentleman | Patricia Kaas | Play | 03:18 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 49 mins | 113 MB | |||||
| 49 mins | 274 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcello Auletta | Keyboards |
| 2 | Charles Aznavour | Composer |
| 3 | Pierre Barouh | Composer |
| 4 | Albert Beach | Composer |
| 5 | The Benz | Photography |
| 6 | Alan Bergman | Composer |
| 7 | Boris Bergman | Composer |
| 8 | Marilyn Bergman | Composer |
| 9 | Mark Berrow | Strings |
| 10 | Jacques Brel | Composer |
| 11 | Chris Cameron | Arranger, Conductor, Keyboards, Piano, String Conductor |
| 12 | Denis Caribaux | Assistant |
| 13 | Jean-Pierre Chalbos | Mastering |
| 14 | Jacques Charles | Composer |
| 15 | Tom Coyne | Mastering |
| 16 | David Daniels | Strings |
| 17 | Rob Davis | Guitar, Keyboards, Mixing, Producer, Programming |
| 18 | Pierre Delanoë | Composer |
| 19 | Bernard Dimey | Composer |
| 20 | Martin Ditcham | Drums, Percussion |
| 21 | Claude Egéa | Trumpet |
| 22 | Drew Griffiths | Assistant |
| 23 | Isobel Griffiths | Orchestra Contractor |
| 24 | Roland Guillotel | Engineer |
| 25 | Paul Ives | Composer |
| 26 | Patricia Kaas | Primary Artist |
| 27 | Patrick Kiernan | Strings |
| 28 | Joseph Kosma | Composer |
| 29 | Herbert Kretzmer | Composer |
| 30 | Francis Lai | Composer |
| 31 | Peter Lale | Strings |
| 32 | Albert Lasry | Composer |
| 33 | Julian Leaper | Strings |
| 34 | Michel Legrand | Arranger, Composer, Guest Artist, Producer, Strings |
| 35 | Michel Lorentz | Programming |
| 36 | Martin Loveday | Strings |
| 37 | Jim Lowe | Engineer, Mixing Engineer |
| 38 | Rita Manning | Strings |
| 39 | Eddy Marnay | Composer |
| 40 | Roy Martin | Drums |
| 41 | Perry Mason | Strings |
| 42 | Rod McKuen | Composer |
| 43 | Steve McNichol | Programming |
| 44 | Johnny Mercer | Composer |
| 45 | Robin Millar | Arranger, Bass, Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Producer, String Conductor, Strings, Vibraphone |
| 46 | Marion Morel-Derocle | Executive Producer |
| 47 | Channing Pollack | Composer |
| 48 | Jacques Prévert | Composer |
| 49 | Andre Rau | Photography |
| 50 | Iain Roberton | Engineer, Mixing Engineer |
| 51 | Mike Ross-Trevor | Engineer |
| 52 | Henri Salvador | Composer |
| 53 | J. Neil Sidwell | Trombone |
| 54 | Steve Sidwell | Flugelhorn, Trumpet, Trumpet (Muted) |
| 55 | Carl Sigman | Adaptation, Composer |
| 56 | James Talbert | Flute (Alto), Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor), Saxophone |
| 57 | John Themis | Guitar, Guitar (Nylon String), Guitar (Tremolo), Guitar Effects |
| 58 | Christopher Tombling | Strings |
| 59 | Charles Trénet | Composer |
| 60 | Richard Walter | A&R, Technical Support, Vocal Consultant |
| 61 | Steve Walters | Bass, Strings |
| 62 | Bruce White | Strings |
| 63 | Albert Willemetz | Composer |
| 64 | Benny Wood | Programming |
| 65 | David Woodcock | Strings |
| 66 | Gavyn Wright | Leader, Strings |
| 67 | Maurice Yvain | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |