The Belgian snow rose - Lara Fabian

Excuse me for beginning this post with a little rant, but the fact that Lara Fabian isn't worshipped like a goddess, is irrefutable proof that there is no justice in this world. With that out of my chest, allow me to begin :-) . As it happened with Céline Dion, I have found it pointless to try to make some sort of biographical ‘article’ about La Fabian, mainly because every possible aspect about her life has already been divulgated, but also because it is even less dramatic than Céline Dion’s. There are no heartbreaking choices, a love that’s been sacrificed or a meteoric explosion into glory after years of misery in Lara Fabian’s life. As it happens with her music, everything about her has been a measured collection of happy moments and wise, well-meditated decisions driven by the sheer power of her voice, which reflects the unbendable strength of her determination to succeed.

Gifted with an impeccable voice that is object of significant discussion among her fans (finding out whether she is a coloratura soprano, as Hugues Gall, the then director of the renowned Opéra National de Paris, enthusiastically declared in 2001; or a mezzo, as Lara likes to refer to herself, takes a significant part of the lives of her fans), La Fabian majestically belts, gracefully chirps, delicately whispers and beautifully bares her soul both on record and across scenarios all around the world with an elegance and modesty that are both mystifying and admirable. Simply put, she is superb.

However, something strange about Lara is that she is neither mutable nor adaptable as a singer; stubbornly fixed on her vision of herself as a 'traditional' belter, she explores her art by encasing it within the confines of her voice and forcing it to find a new form of expression in every varying colour and wanton changes during performances. This places Lara in a category of her own, because she remains alien to changing trends in music or to the notion that singing in her native language is equivalent to personal and artistic freedom (as it happens with Céline Dion) – Lara is always the same, even though she definitely sounds more comfortable performing in any other language besides English.




I like to compare Lara’s voice to a blossom that combines incomparable beauty with cold, impossibly detached technical precision; which is not to say that her music is devoid of emotion – her particular feelings and experiences are what colours and gives substance to her singing, making Lara and her voice two separate entities united in their aim to please and enthrall an audience. This could be reflected in this interview (followed by an amazing performance of Lucio Dalla’s Caruso); in it, Lara mentions how her love for her mother and the closeness she has always felt with her grandmother give her singing in Italian an enormous personal value. Italian is the language or Lara’s early childhood in the beautiful region of Catania, in Southern Italy: French, Spanish, German and English would come a bit later (mind you, only a bit later), when she moved back to her native Belgium. This ability to express her own feelings through music while using her voice as a mere instrument is what makes La Fabian so incredibly special, and her albums such a wonderful experience.

However, not all things about Lara are positive. Sadly, as of late she has been indulging excessively in her insufferable (and erroneous) Barbra Streisand-inspired attempts at giving greater emotional resonance to songs by sucking all the life from them with empty, soul-less displays of perfectly melodious droning. Which is fine (my grandmother loves it), but we should not forget that Barbra has only managed to be memorable whenever she has actually bothered to perform her songs, rather than partaken in her solipsistic love for her own voice and public persona. Quite frankly, I cannot imagine anyone being capable of listening to most of La Streisand's records without falling into a coma (there are very notable exceptions to this, of course, and I shall talk about them soon enough) - what made Lara so special is that she was never afraid to show off that she is a vibrant, technically proficient performer with a wonderful, hurricane-powered voice. Not just a whispering ego with no musical taste whatsoever, which is what she seems to want to emulate for some strange reason.



And well, we finally come to the selection I’ve made for today. I hope you enjoy it and, as always, I remind you to go to buy her records. Fnac or Amazon are both good options.

Je Suis Malade/I Am Ill

The spectacular first single of the marvelous album Carpe Diem/Seize The Day (1994), this ode to desperate, hopeless love was first made a classic in 1973 by singer/songwriter Serge Lama. Few words could express how beautiful this song is, nor how utterly and most completely wonderful Lara manages to make it with almost no effort at all. Delicately, the melody navigates through sorrowful piano scales that tiredly build a melancholic atmosphere, only to be overshadowed by the instrumental and vocal explosions that take place during the choruses. The end is simply spectacular, with Lara belting away up to a deafening climax. Watch this wonderful live performance and be amazed.

Je T'Aime/I Love You

My favourite song by Lara, this was the second single (and GIGANTIC hit – so much so, it has become a classic) from her 1996 album Pure. If you just have to buy an album by Lara, this is it. Especially if like myself, you cannot be satisfied unless and album has an abundance of ballads, you are going to be delighted! However, and as impossible as it might seem, this song is far above the rest in quality – or better said, this should have turned Lara into a legend. The song delicately navigates from slow, delicate verses to the stormy choruses, which will thunder their way into your heart (oh-my-god, tell me that that display of shitty, cheesy and stupidly bad writing isn’t mine – I should just quit this blog and start writing Harlequin novels ;-P) with the force and passion of a torrential rain. If you are one of those sad persons who love to torture themselves by listening to melodramatic love songs after their relationships have ended – why do I keep letting people into my darkest, filthiest secrets? – you’re gonna love this. And if you are even remotely human, you will as well. Video of a live performance.

La Différence/The Difference

After receiving three e-mails politely objecting to the inclusion of Carola in this blog (sorry guys - the Bee Gees made me weak!), I have decided to redeem myself by including this beautiful anti-homophobia anthem, which was originally released as an independent single and included as part of Pure in later pressings (I told you it was an amazing album). It also happens to be the second biggest hit from the album – rapidly reaching the number one position in France, and staying in the top ten for over three months. There’s not much to say about this songs besides the fact that the lyrics are fabulous, and inspirational – far from being a ridiculous Kumbaya-inspired preachy, condescending mess (which is what most songs with a social message are), it just tells how gay people are normal people and, well, that’s it really. Video.

J'y Crois Encore/I Still Believe It

This is a sample of Lara’s Streisand-esque newfound style. However, it is a rather interesting ballad (that’s why I have included it :-) ), and one of the highlights of the lovely 2001 album Nue/Naked. It has a rockier sound than her previous songs, and the change suits Lara wonderfully! Needless to say, this is much more interesting than the majority of things that Barbra Streisand has ever done (the majority, but not all - let's take a moment to remember that La Streisand's high points are unsurpassable by any mortal), but it nevertheless is tinged by her style. Great song! Video.

Adagio (Italian Version)

After this overdose of French songs, what about a little touch of Italian to remind us how awesome Lara is in her mother tongue? Directly lifted from Baroque composer Tommaso Albinoni’s overused to death Adagio (Pachelbel’s Canon et Gigue is a close second, ugh!), this could have been disastrous, but Lara wisely focuses on performing it as a delicate heartbreak song and leaves all pretences of classical legitimacy aside (not because she can’t have them by the way – unlike that fat sow Mariah Carey, Lara is an opera singer first and foremost). The ending is particularly impressive, with a thunderous final belt that will leave you awe-struck. Video of a superb live performance.

Otro Amor Vendrá/Another Love Shall Come (I Will Love Again)

And I couldn’t leave without including a danceable song. You all know about this track, so I’m just going to say that Lara’s Spanish is impeccably pronounced, and she sounds infinitely more comfortable singing in it than in English. This version was a HUGE hit in Spain and Latin America (the summer of 2001 I happened to travel both to Mexico and Argentina, and it was impossible to escape from this song – it was everywhere!!!). What I like of this version is the bridge, which Lara belts at full force, unlike in the English version, which has an annoying F5 in head voice. Lovely! Video.