Daniel Lavoie: official website

"Long Courrier"

"Le Monde", By Mortaigne Véronique
November 1991

The Québécois Daniel Lavoie suggests a round trip by boat, plane, rock music and lyrics that glide into an internal dream. There are plains from childhood, joyous and worn lands, silences of orphanages, Chinese operas, and 'Bess', a boat with flowing plaited hair. A whole universe rich in images, often sketched with the help of Thierry Séchan, and punctuated with some foolishness about the eternal youth of James Dean, Elvis' degeneration, and rappers (Lyrics from the song "Le Pape du Rap": "Le pape du rap, le prince du bagou, le roi de la radotte qui dit tout sur tout, il a un bec de pie, l'éloquence d'une botte"). When Daniel Lavoie puts too many electric guitars and drums with these well-written and weighty lyrics, you say to yourself that surely he is sacrificing himself for fashion. As soon as the spirit of swing returns, which suits the singer's strained, subtly husky voice so well, the horizons broaden. You can breathe again. Lavoie combines simple things, a saxophone, a guitar, a piano. For example the two versions offered on the CD of 'Belle' , a pretty ballad, one electric, the other acoustic.