French Music Review: Ma P'tite Poupoune ("My little dear") - Shilvi

I'm starting with Shilvi because this was my first French album. I adore all of the Shilvi's thus far - I currently own three.  Having said that, let me say right up front:

Shilvi is an acquired taste.

Shilvi is a little French Canadian girl, singing songs full of word play and delicious flights of fancy ("When The Sky Weeps", "The Big Elephant", "The Baby Robot").  The disc includes musical styles - jazz, various Latin rhythms - that keep it fun for adults as well as kids.  Much of it has a sweet, almost classical sound, but not at all cloying.  The lyrics are so clever that they elevate the whole album.

   

Now for the kicker.  Shilvi really ain't no little girl.  She's the creation of Sylvie Dumontier.  The album notes tell us her voice hasn't been remastered in any way.  It's just her, pure and simple.  No Alvin and the Chipmunks  action here.

Which, I admit, may give Shilvi a slightly creepy feel.  The performance sounds like a little girl, although you're never quite sure.  And it's way too polished to be coming from a 4-year-old.

The title track is the weirdest.  It's a good concept - Shilvi compares her gurgling baby sister to a scat singer.

But stay with me here. 

Shilvi ends the song singing scat-style.  So we've got:

an adult woman
pretending to be a 4-year-old
pretending to be a baby
singing scat.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

It's like Lambchop on Harry Potter's Polyjuice Potion.  Only scarier.

So why do I bother telling you about Shilvi?  Because, except for that momentary lapse of good judgment, I LOVE HER. 

So skip that first track.  That's the only way adults can warm up to Shilvi.  And kids don't care.  My son is quite willing to listen to the entire album, thanks to this nugget from "La Nuit Noire des Citrouilles" (Black Night of Pumpkins), a song about Halloween Night, and all the strange beings one sees on the streets:

• (my translation - and yes, PLEASE comment, now and always.  I'll listen, I'll fix, and maybe... we'll all LEARN SOMETHING.)

I've seen Snow White, and the little mermaid
Who held hands with an old Frankenstein
Then I saw Tintin, and Captain Haddock
A tyrannosaur, a rooster, a seahorse.

That single line about Tintin hooked my son immediately, so both he and my daughter (at ages 6 and 9) were happy listening to Shilvi. Plus, I think that adult-as-kid thing is easier to swallow because French is not our native tongue.  It just doesn't bother us, but if she were singing in English, I probably couldn't stand it.

The album is intended for children up to 7 years, but when you're learning a language, those age ranges don't seem to matter quite as much.  Kids may still be interested up to age 11 and beyond.

I'll review more Shilvi coming up, and Kids Guide To The Globe will be looking for permission from all artists and record labels to print full translations of all the songs.  And this, my friends, is one of the things I'm really excited about here at this website.  I'll post translations, you can comment on/refine my clumsy attempts, we can talk about what all those obscure and interesting allusions mean, and maybe....  we'll all learn something.

In the meantime, let's all just say no to the Polyjuice Potion.

Liner notes include French lyrics.

Comments

[kelli ann]

i am really, really not a fan of the 'adult-as-kid' thing:: guess i find it creepy too. and then in Quebec you get a lot of 'adult-as-kid-dubbing' over the original sound for TV & film, etc... an extra layer not to like. I will take a listen to Shilvi: have to confess i haven't been drawn to the packaging. 'Carole Gaudet'-- you must have at least some French background-- way, way back? how far are you guys from the Quebec border? the new (big!) library in the heart of Montreal has an amazing CD-film collection...

[Carole Gaudet]

Kelli Ann: I assume you speak French... if so, I'd be really interested to hear your opinion of Shilvi. It was a tough sell for me, but now I really love her. French is not my native language (in fact, I can barely speak it) so the adult-as-kid thing feels once removed for me, and even more so for my kids. We're always concentrating so hard on the words that we barely register the fact that it's an adult.

My ancestors came from Nova Scotia, and I probably still have some distant cousins there. I'm 2 hours from Montreal, and will definitely check out the new library next time I'm there. I hope I can get in. Where is it?

Thanks for writing.

[kelli ann]

Hi Carole:: French is my 2nd language, and it's the one we use most around the house. i think it's amazing that you & your family are so open to media in other languages:: i can't think of any better way to discover new languages & cultures than through their music. i wouldn't dream of 'correcting' your translations:: i am happy to discover your interpretation!

some of our favourite french artists include henri dès (he is Swiss i think; has been around for ages!) also steve waring (an american who sings folk songs in French, very charming); i find the Putumayo collections to be quite consistently good; the French-from-France group 'les ogres de barback' have a kids' compilation album out, called 'pitt 'ocha' which we are quite fond of too... i will get back to you with some labels, etc. that i can't think of right now... baby's down for a nap:: phew!!!

[carole gaudet]

Hi Kelli Ann - lucky you, and your children. I wish my children were growing up bilingual. Thanks for the tips! I've seen Henri Des's albums, but hadn't heard anything yet. Hadn't heard Les Ogres De Barback - they're cool! Steve Waring looks good too. Does he have an official website that you know of? I couldn't find one.
Baby down for nap - I know that feeling. Ahhhhhhhh...........