Here is a CD to play by a fireside with your favorite friend beside you.



Composer and Artist: Maryse Letarte
Instrumentals and vocals include Hugo Perreault (guitar), Justin Allard (percussion), Maxime Lepage (bass), Francoise Lalonde (vibraphone), Nemo Vanba (trumpet), and Nathalie Bonin (violin).
Christmas/New Year compositions
10 Tracks
Running Time: 36 minutes
ARTCD-803
22406-05032-0
www.maryseletarte.com

Maryse Letarte is a Quebec composer, who studied at the Grove School in California. The lyrics on this CD are mostly in French, with one song's lyrics in English. There is no English translation for the other songs. This reviewer was provided with translations. The French lyrics are placed diagonally on the page and hard to read.

Letarte writes lyrics as a poet and the songs are sung as to one person. Here is a CD to play by a fireside with your favorite friend beside you. For example, "O Traineau Dans Le Ciel" (about a sleigh in the sky) is done with whispery vocals, soft percussion and guitar. "Anges De Neige" is really an adult song about a Christmas argument. The melody is pleasant, but not the meaning of the words.

"Boom Boom" is already a popular selection from this CD and it is written in English with the type of keyboard you would hear from a child's piano. "Give me your heart...boom boom boom... Merry little Christmas" has bouncy lyrics to go with the music. "Le Mendiant" and "Gloria" are both instrumental compositions with some choir to go with accompanied by keyboard, percussion and strings. I wish "Gloria" would have been longer. "Blizzard" is a keyboard solo about being out in the snow. You know the feeling, sad and lost. The last selection, "Song of December" is a combination of instruments, and people talking in the background.

Maryse Letarte is talented with lyrics and orchestrations that remind you of a small theater and small audience. It is private music, but unless you understand French, you will not gather the full ambience of this CD. My favorites were "Le Mendiant" and "Gloria" that showcased instrumentalists.

Copyright 2012 Marie Asner

A complimentary copy of "Des Pas Dans La Neige" has been provided by Mia Mind Music.

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