Des de Moor
Monique: On the boulevard des hommes

The album, On the boulevard des hommes, is released on Irregular Records (IRR053) on 29 March 2004. The release is rendered rather poignant because Nougaro had personally authorised the English version only weeks before his death.

As well as 'Le Cinéma' the album includes another Nougaro song, 'Le jazz et le java', sung in French, and songs by Serge Gainsbourg, Charles Trenet and Charles Aznavour alongside Corsican folk songs. Robb Johnson provides the title track and a new version of Michel Sardou's 'Rouge', and the album is produced by Barb Jungr.

Monique says, "I wanted this album to explore the music of French men: men as songwriters, men as singers, men as lovers, predators or just plain bastards. While there are many notable French female singers, and some fantastic female songwriters, most chansons seem to be written by men: think Gainsbourg, Aznavour, Nougaro, Trenet, Brel and Ferre.

"I also wanted to celebrate the music of Corsica, a passion of mine. It has a strong male tradition with very male themes. This music is not well-known in Britain and it is a hidden treasure of the Mediterranean landscape."

Overall this is an essential purchase for anyone interested in both French and English chanson.