Customer Rating: 
Summary: Something lovely
Comment: This is an interesting little record and one of my favourites. Ok: La vie en rose, Les feuilles mortes, Mon manége a moi, Sous le ciel de Paris... Sounds very familiar and safe. These are classics, so many times done. But here they are really beautifully sung, Montand's voice is so close to perfection as it can be: soft but strong, moving lightly and surely, a true professional and still very sincere. There are at least two very good collections on Amazon, '36 titres' and live recording from Olympia 1981, but both collections - as well as most collections! - lack some highlights of Montand's career. C'est si bon, the alluring, very sexy song as done by Montand is here, so are the beautiful ballads Le chevalier de Paris, L'ame des poètes and Sa jeunesse. Nat 'King' Cole recorded Le chevalier de Paris ("Ah, the apple trees..."), but Montand was at least as good. Since I've always admired Cole's voice and a very similar way of singing, I don't want to say, which is better. Sa jeunesse is Aznavour's song and this time I have no hesitation: Montand did it better! Aznavour is a wonderful songwriter and singer, but Montand's voice and his skillful, tender way of singing really shines here. And of course, Les feuilles mortes is wonderful. He recorded it several times, this is a one of the best recordings, though I like most the live one done in Olympia 1981.
If you like French music, if you like Montand: this is a very good buy, though it may not seem like it, given the small number of songs. But they are very good, some of them even hard to find. Sa jeunesse is one of the hardest ones - and in itself worth the money. And to me Montand gave new life and meaning to songs like La vie en rose and Sous le ciel de Paris, usually heard by Piaf.
