Inspiring tribute to 'le grand bluesman absent', 11 Oct 2004

By	fripono (Hampshire, UK.) - See all my reviews

'Next' is a collection of some of his most famous compositions, meticulously and lovingly translated into English, and performed by a diverse range of anglophone artistes.

The highlights for me are Bowie's ascerbic and minimalist Amsterdam (a monophonic live recording, atmospherically very different to his studio version), Dusty Springfield's sensual rendition of 'If You Go Away' (Ne Me Quitte Pas) with soaring vocals and inspired minor chord changes, Divine Comedy's sympathetic 'Jackie', Anne Watts' Amsterdam, with her husky voice and those echoing bass piano notes conveying a very powerful if somewhat lugubrious image, Nina Simone's polished and evocative 'Desperate Ones' and, of course, the late great Alex Harvey's sensationally manic version of 'Next' (au Suivant).

There are a few weaker moments - the Scott Walker and Jimmy Rogers songs are of only average quality and Terry Jacks' sugary sweet Seasons in the Sun owes very little to Brel's caustically bitter Le Moribund (The Dying Man). Furthermore, and strangely, there are a few notable omissions; I would have liked to see Bowie's famous rendition of 'My Death' (La Mort) and Ange's upbeat, rocking version of Ces Gens-La included in the collection. Also, the absence of any contributions by Mort Schuman, who did so much to bring Brel's music to the English-speaking world, is slightly disappointing.

Enough nitpicking though! I listened to the album on my long drive into work this morning with a great smile on my face! This music makes you feel uplifted and the next moment moves you almost to tears.

Throughout, I felt astonished at how well Brel's poetry translates to the anglo-saxon tongue. OK, so some of the fine imagery in Jackie hasn't quite made it across the Channel, but it comes very close. Alex Harvey belting out 'I swear on the we