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So Frenchy So Chic returns in 2012 with a new double-disc compilation of the best music to come out of France over the past twelve months. Hand picked to break down barriers of language, culture or fashion, these songs are set to take listeners another journey across the varied landscape of new French music.

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Ballade en France – Classic Chansons & Nouvelle Vague brings together contemporary and timeless French music on a beautiful album. This collection of the latest French pop, indie and chanson will lure the listener on a journey to unexpectedly tantalizing corners of the Gallic musical landscape.

So Frenchy So Chic is released once a year. It has become a ‘French rendez vous’ for the Australian community. It reached #9 in the ARIA Chart, making it the first French-speaking album to reach such rank. It showcases the latest music from France across an eclectic range of genres.

It is the unofficial soundtrack to the French Film Festival who gathers each year over 80,000 Francophiles nationally. (Number 1 Foreign Film Festival in Australia).

Track listing

Putumayo World Music brings the romance and charm of Paris and the French countryside with the release of Acoustic France.  This collection features contemporary chanson and acoustic pop by established stars and up-and-coming artists from today’s thriving French music scene.  Inspired by the classic styles of an earlier generation, young artists are borrowing from old-school lyric-driven composition, folk and Gypsy jazz to create an appealing modern sound.  The music captures the ambiance of strolling along the Seine or sipping wine in a Parisian café on a beautiful summer day.

Featured artists include Thomas Dutronc, the son of popular French singer Françoise Hardy and film star/singer Jacques Dutronc, whose sound was influenced by legendary Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt.  Sandrine Kiberlain, who released her critically acclaimed French debut album in 2005, first gained prominence as an award-winning actress in her native France. Carla Bruni, who recently made headlines for marrying French President Nicolas Sarkozy, started her career as a supermodel and actress but her musical talent has garnered her world-wide fame.

Several other exciting artists featured on Acoustic France have spent at least part of their lives outside of France and these influences radiate throughout the collection.  Constance Amiot was raised by French parents in West Africa and the Washington DC area before settling in France a few years ago. French in spirit, if not in direct origin, Pascal Lejeune, from New Brunswick, Canada, exhibits a gift for wordplay and creating melodies that sound like they’ve always existed and that have earned him comparisons to French legend Georges Brassens. Rupa & the April Fishes is a San Francisco-based group whose album eXtraOrdinary rendition was released in spring 2008 by Cumbancha, an artist label affiliated with Putumayo World Music. Lead singer and songwriter Rupa spent many of her formative years in southern France, where her mother still resides.

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In the case of most trends, what is old becomes new again. Your grandmother’s pearls show up on today’s supermodels; her favorite crooner reappears decades later as the toast of the town. Even in Paris—the city that’s always en vogue—this phenomenon occurs time and again. The Paris of your grandmother’s time was alive with the songs of a genre called chanson. Very traditional in its sound, chanson was rediscovered and revamped in the late 50s and early 60s before it once again became passé with younger audiences, who embraced rock and pop as the sound of their generation. Now, forty years later, a new school of musicians has given a fresh voice to this vintage sound, creating the nouvelle scène (new scene) that is all the rage in Paris. Paris is an introduction to a vibrant group of artists out to prove that this is not your grandma’s chanson.

Opening the album is a track from one of the leading artists of the nouvelle scène, Thomas Fersen. On “Au Café de la Paix,” Fersen channels the spirit of famed 60s chanson artist Serge Gainsbourg with darkly ironic lyrics over a sweet, bubbly melody. On its surface innocent and simple, the song takes a turn toward the twisted as the delusional author confuses a lover he’s never met and a house they’ve never lived in with a woman from his past. The song ends with Fersen wishing the woman would come visit him in his new home—underneath a bridge.

Soft and lovely, the acoustic track “Quelqu’un M’a Dit” glows with the same beauty as its composer, French supermodel Carla Bruni. Her crooning lyrics confirm why the French are often said to be among the most passionate people in the world: “I’m told that our lives aren’t worth much/ Passing in an instant, like wilting roses/ Yet someone told me that you loved me still/ Could that be possible?”

Heartbreak and passion are recurring themes in this collection, but the group Tryo offers a welcome lighthearted interlude. With catchy rhythms and melodic hooks, Tryo writes songs for their fans to “whistle in the shower.” On “Serre-Moi,” this intention is fulfilled through a unique blend of French chanson and acoustic reggae.

Many of the nouvelle scène artists work similar global fusions into their music. Brazilian and Latin rhythms, stirred up with chanson and electronica, prove an excellent recipe for songs by Pascal Parisot. His lounge-y vocals, humorous lyrics and swinging rhythms on “Je Reste Au Lit” are reminiscent of the very mod 60s sound. The breezy samba-flavored track from Keren Ann displays her global influences and shows off the songwriting style that has been the cornerstone of her successful career. And on “Samba de Mon Cœur Qui Bat” Coralie Clément embraces the same alluring style with a breathy timbre that drifts elegantly over samba piano runs and trombone riffs.

And so, in France, the old once again becomes new. Time races on, and a new generation of musicians set the stage for the future by looking to the past. Putumayo invites you to experience this new wave of classic music—a Paris perfect for both you and your grandmother. This album also makes the perfect companion piece to the hugely successful French Café.

French Café includes performances by renowned icons such as Serge Gainsbourg, Georges Brassens, Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin and Barbara alongside contemporary musicians who have been adding new energy to the classic French sound, such as Paris Combo, Sanseverino, Polo, Coralie Clement, Enzo Enzo, Mathieu Boogaerts and Baguette Quartette.

Paris has long been an epicenter for café culture, and its countless cafes have always been magnets for bohemians, artists, poets, revolutionaries, laborers and musicians. Indeed, the history of French music is inextricably linked to the cafes and music halls where popular music styles like musette and chanson were originally performed.

In the late 1950s and early ‘60s, French music was greatly impacted by American and British rock and roll and pop music. The sound of troubadours like Georges Brassens and dramatic divas like Barbara was subsumed by a new and vibrant movement that blended French attitude and lyricism with a youthful, counter-culture energy. Brigitte Bardot, the sultry film star who was France’s most widely recognized icon internationally in the ‘60s, was also a popular singer at home and a leading proponent of the so- called “yé-yé” style. Serge Gainsbourg, an innovative songwriter who used chanson as a springboard for a unique brand of avant-garde music, became an idol and inspiration for countless musicians in France and abroad.

In recent years, classic French styles that first became popular in the early part of the 20th Century have been experiencing a comeback. Some of the most popular musicians on the current French music scene have been drawing inspiration from chanson, musette, and gypsy jazz. Icons of French music like Django Reinhardt, Edith Piaf and Georges Brassens have been embraced by young French musicians who once disparaged their music as being of another era.

The music on French Café unites musicians of an earlier age with contemporary artists who draw on the sound of the past as inspirat ion to create a style that is both nostalgic and progressive.

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Putumayo Kids announces the newest addition to its award-winning catalog: French Playground, a musical rendez-vous of fun French and French Creole songs that will delight children of all ages. French Playground reflects the rich variety of Francophone music. It features 12 songs by artists from France, the Caribbean, Africa and Quebec.

Bilingual families and children learning French or English will enjoy the fact that the complete lyrics for each song are printed in both languages. As with all Putumayo CDs, French Playground features full-color liner notes with artist and cultural information. The CD is a great resource for language and social studies teachers.

The artists on French Playground include some of the most popular children’s performers in their respective countries, along with successful pop artists such as Pascal Parisot, Thomas Fersen, Tryo and Ariane Moffat whose songs were selected for their all-ages appeal. Musical styles range from French chanson and Gypsy jazz to the twoubadou music of Haiti and the rootsbending style of Triton, who is from Mauritius, an island off the east coast of Africa.

Gallic joie de vivre is expressed in each of the tunes, from the opening song’s invitation to “tickle the sun” with a ladybug (Chatouiller le Ciel avec Toi), to songs that celebrate the beauty of the South of France (Clic-Clac Oh C’est Beau!). Some of the tracks provide tasty little slices of French life, including "Bonjour, Bonjour," which tells of a little bus’s journey past boulangeries and other neighborhood spots. Children will also enjoy a young man’s memories of staying with his grandparents (Petit Francais).

Other family-friendly CDs and multicultural activity kits are included in the multi-award winning Putumayo Kids collection. Putumayo Kids CDs are regularly selected for “Best of the Year” lists by national parenting magazines and organizations. Since the 1999 release of World Playground, Putumayo Kids has built a strong following among kids, parents and educators. The company’s multicultural educational programs have reached more than 300,000 students and teachers.

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Putumayo joins in the 400th Anniversary celebration of one of the world’s most fascinating and beautiful cities with the new release Québec. This collection features an array of Québécois songs ranging from traditional folk to contemporary singer-songwriters, and even includes a song by a Native Canadian artist singing in the rare Montagnais language.

Women have always played an essential role in the preservation of African culture. From lullabies sung to sleepy children to chants of celebration, women are important bearers of tradition. Unlike some areas in the world where females are discouraged from taking part in public musical performance, in sub-Saharan Africa, music is an essential social activity for all members of the community.

While many musical instruments are traditionally played exclusively by men, women often provide the voice of Africa’s music. This legacy carries over from traditional to contemporary music, and many of today’s most popular singers in Africa are women.

Women of Africa features Putumayo’s favorite songs by women from Algeria to Zimbabwe. Ranging from internationally revered artists like Angèlique Kidjo (Benin), Tarika (Madagascar), Women of Mambazo (South Africa), Khadja Nin (Burundi) and Dorothy Masuka (Zimbabwe), to rising stars such as Judith Sephuma (South Africa), Souad Massi (Algeria), and Sibongile Khumalo (South Africa), to new discoveries Nawal (Comoros), Maria de Barros (Cape Verde), Kaïssa (Cameroon), and Dobet Gnahoré (Ivory Coast), the artists on Women of Africa represent a wide spectrum of today’s African music scene.

African Odyssey is a voyage of discovery. It uncovers a number of artists whose music has never been heard outside of their borders as well as voices who are just beginning to be featured on the international stage. Meditative and reflective, yet overflowing with soul and spirit, the music on African Odyssey is a mesmerizing journey through this rich and varied region. The music of Africa is recognized worldwide for its complex rhythms and upbeat dance styles. The predominant image of African music is that of drumming and percussion, and indeed much of the rhythmic elements of contemporary popular music throughout the Western world have roots in the rhythms of Africa. Africa is also a tremendous source of beautiful, melodic music with a slower, more introspective flavor.

Wander through the exhilarating world of Gypsy music with Gypsy Caravan, a selection of songs from a culture where music is an essential part of daily life. Gypsies have long been known as gifted musicians and their music has enlivened weddings, dances and other celebrations for centuries. Gypsy Caravan includes gorgeous songs that will astonish the listener with their emotional depth, entrancing rhythms and alluring melodies.

Over the years, Gypsies have been simultaneously scorned and glorified, rejected and romanticized. They are almost mythical and magical beings, representing people outside the confines and mundane realities of the everyday world. Gypsy music is exotic, mysterious and accessible and will appeal to a broad range of people who are interested in world and folk music. The success of films and soundtracks on Gypsy music such as Latcho Drom reveals that there is broad interest in Gypsy music and culture. Gypsy Caravan also features detailed liner notes by noted music critic and Gypsy music specialist Michal Shapiro.

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Thanks to the Moors, Spanish music has an Arabic influence. And Cuban music combines Spanish heritage with West African music, a region that also shares historical connections with the Arab world. North African Groove features artists from every North African country.

Brought to you by the letter F.