Sometimes intimate, sometimes epic, chanteuse and songwriter Jessica Fichotâs debut album "Le Chemin" takes the listener on a twisting journey out of the French chanson tradition, into the lands of gypsy jazz, Chinese and Latin American folk music, throug

9 MP3 Songs
WORLD: Western European, FOLK: Traditional Folk



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Chanteuse and songwriter Jessica Fichot is a lot like her hometown of Paris: French at heart, but with a soul thatâs truly international. Her multi-ethnic French / Chinese / American upbringing colors the songs on her debut album. Itâs called Le Chemin, âThe Path,â and for good reason: Jessica takes the listener on a twisting journey out of the French chanson tradition, into the lands of gypsy jazz, Chinese and Latin American folk music, through the classic American repertoire, and off into the wilderness of her imagination.

Born in the U.S. to a French father and a Chinese mother, Jessica was raised in France in a multicultural environment. A youth spent playing music in Parisian coffeehouses and concert halls led her first to graduate from the School of Audio Engineering in Paris and then from Berklee College of Music in Boston. School was followed by a stint writing childrenâs music for educational programs - her work includes over a hundred songs published in over a dozen countries - and later, for television. When Jessica moved to California, she began writing the songs that would eventually form the backbone of her new album.

The albumâs center lies with her sophisticated writing and arrangements, her pure, beautiful vocal work - sung mostly in French and English, along with some Chinese and Spanish - and her piano and accordion playing. She also enlisted over 20 musicians to give each of her songs just the right mood...sometimes intimate, sometimes epic.

âLe Grenierâ and âJe Sais QuâTu Mâaimesâ combine energetic Django-esque swing with the kind of sardonic lyrics that were the stock in trade of legendary singers like Serge Gainsbourg and Georges Brassens. â1, 2, 3â and âLe Cheminâ echo with the sounds of the musette dance hall and sparkle with Jessicaâs inventive and dreamy arrangements. âLe Velours et la Soieâ is a playful and sexy linguistics lesson, with Chinese and French lyrics describing an interracial tryst. âSi...â hints at a new direction for Jessica by fusing programmed drums with haunting French lyrics...like Portishead for the Montmartre café set. An English translation of Michel Legrand and Jacques Demyâs composition âI Will Wait for Youâ and an English/French hybrid of the classic âDream a Little Dream of Meâ cross the language barrier effortlessly and stylishly. And for sheer excitement, itâs hard to match Jessicaâs rendition of the Spanish-language folk song âLos Peces en el Rio.â Itâs like Le Chemin as a whole: entreating, seductive, and ultimately thrilling.

Jessica Fichot is also bringing the songs of Le Chemin to audiences everywhere, backed by an amazing quartet of clarinet/sax/flute, upright bass, guitar, and drums. A trip to the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, TX and performances planned in Canada and France are just the beginning of her travels. Jessicaâs live act is a great way to see a new side of her debut album.