Free Music Articles

Artist: Maryse Letarte
Release: “Des Pas Dans La Neige”
www.MaryseLetarte.com
By: Savannah Blacc

The holidays are finally here! Maryse Letarte’s latest release, “Des Pas Dans La Neige”, has become a staple in my home, car and office from the time I felt the first chill of the year. This album provides the nostalgic feeling of decorating the Christmas tree or making snow angles and comforts you like warm hot chocolate by the fireplace. It is a capturing showcase of musicianship at it finest.

The beginning of the album is driven in by catchy light hearted tunes like, “Ô Traîneau Dans Le Ciel” (O, Sled in the Sky) that bring out the kid in all of us. It brings memories of the night before Christmas preparations and awaiting good ol’ St. Nick. Then, album single, “Boom Boom,” which is a creatively crafted bilingual piece sung in both English and French, imprints a melody in your mind you can’t help but hum throughout the day. These songs are the uplifting interlude to the apparent mood change of the album. The music of the album suddenly becomes more melodic and jazzy focusing primarily on instrumentals with minimum vocals. This however, does not distort the interpretation of this wintry release, but in fact, enhances it.

“L’année Qui S’achève”, a song revisited three tracks later, escorts you into this new jazzy world of musical genius with its soothing ambiance. Then in the song, “Gloria”, the only lyric of the song is the word “Gloria”, yet the listener still feels the angelic mood driven by its heavenly and chipper groove. Finally, the album comes to a close with track, “Songs De Décembre”, which almost has the effect of a lullaby with its cradling touch.

Maryse Letarte is a force to be reckoned with. Her masterful arrangements and compositions leave no doubt in my mind that she has classic and legendary potential and will be around for years to come.