Lopez Blogs

Oh I do like a bit of Christophe Willem. He first came to my attention sometime last year when his album Caféine came out with it's rather striking cover visuals and very engaging tunes. The hoopla was all around his duet with Kylie on Sensitised, but frankly Christophe didn't need the Minogue connection (although it was quite good) because he shone on his own. I've written about his a couple of times this year (an album overview here, more indepth review here, preview of his tour here) and I keep returning to his album on a fairly regular basis. So I was super pleased this week to see a few studio versions of his tour songs pop up on youtube...

Fragile (Steve Anderson Studio Version) ~ Quite honestly, I do enjoy when Steve Anderson takes over directing popstars on tour. The results are usually very pleasing (see below for more). I'm sad that I didn't get to see Christophe's latest tour, but perhaps if he takes off in the UK that will become more of a possibility... The original album version is a stripped down ballad built around a string instrument and a rich, resonant piano accompaniment. The tour version (above) makes a more haunting vision for the tune, with an elegant yet almost ghostly hollow sounding synth backdrop with a muted string sound and sparse drum effect adding in as the song develops. What this essentially does is make Christophe's voice sound very delicate and vulnerable as his emotions become the focal point of the track - and makes a lovely symmetry with the song title. It (I imagine) also made it quite a powerful track to perform live, and therein lies the magic of Mr Anderson - understanding how to subtly recreate a track for a live venue. Ethereal and mystically hypnotic.

Bombe Anatomique/Erotica (Steve Anderson Remix) ~ A slightly crazed Christophe is all red eyed and straitjacketed in the (presumably tour backdrop) visual to accompany this song. It's a far more dance-driven affair than Fragile, being bought right up to date with a more industrial feel than the original version on his debut album ever had. The addition of Madonna's Erotica in the middle 8 works well and creates a jarring, unhinged effect when matched to aforesaid visuals. The song and performance is incredibly sexual and this raw energy flows from it. Again, this must be a very intense experience live...PS be sure to check out State of Grace, a great mid-tempo pop track from Christophe that Larry Flick has been playing recently...

More Steve Anderson:

• Elouise ~ Fireman of my dreams: Transformed an already quirky cute number into a dreamy romantic ballad that will last longer than a Ruth Wallis song and soon be performed by drag queens everyhere. And that, my friends, is how it should be. Performance from Elouise's opening slot for Miss Polly Rae (who is coming back in Sept! SQUEAL!!)
• Westlife - Flying Without Wings: I exhibit no shame ever in loving Westlife. They have clearly filled a necessary niche in the pop market and continue to produce straightforward, instantly familiar pop gems. Their latest Where We Are tour was a brillo fun night out with rampantly enthusiastic crowds, excellent lighting effects and a wonderful mix of ballads combined with uptempo fun. This song showcased their excellent vocals & harmonies and proved that it could still give you goosebumps over ten years on... (Now if Westlife could return with a Steve Anderson produced version of this, they would be number one for a month)!
• Kylie - Come Into My World: Kylie live in the USA from a year or so ago was a marketing triumph. It allowed long time US fans to see her live and gave the rest of the Kylie adoring world some new versions of old favourites. The highlight for me was the perenially amazing Come Into My World being given a harder synth edge to add to it's disco fabulosity. Magnifico :)

Soon! The Pipettes & The Like! Girl groups rule :P