M            Le Baptême

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M is the alter ego of Mathieu Chedid, whose father Louis has been a successful musician for many years. Born into the world of studio recording, Mathieu basically spent his childhood at the mixing board.

       In the past five years Chedid has made a name for himself as a studio musician, playing on albums by NTM, Sinclair and Billy Ze Kick. He also arranged Faudel's first album Baïda. Given his many talents it is no surprise that his debut album Le Baptême is a mini-opus, a work of mad genius.

       The album begins inconspiuously with the sweet acoustic guitars and strings of "La Fleur", where Cheidid sings "J'ai aimé une fleur / Elle m'a appris l'amour / Elle m'a appris les pleurs / C'était si naturel." Then out of nowhere comes the mellow retro-funk of the title track, followed by a lighthearted ode to childhood ("Nostalgic du Cool").

       M is all about eclecticism, and nearly each track on the CD is a distinctly rendered, finely honed exercise in pop mastery.  Such a capricious approach to recording only works if there are worthwhile songs beneath, and there definitely are.

       Moving deftly among rock, funk, disco, folk and pop music, M eludes any type of category or comparison. As a vocalist he is incredibly flexible, whether crooning a samba song ("Je Suis une Cigarette"), rapping (the hilarious "Matchistador") or playing the broken-hearted romantic ("La Mort de l'Âme").
To hear a sample

snd.gif (383 bytes)Matchistador

snd.gif (383 bytes)Souvenir du Futur

M, the king of indie rock
M  "Le Baptême"
Item#04899  $17.95
Songs: La fleur, Le baptême, L'amour ma thématique, Nostalgic du cool, Manque de Q, Je suis une cigarette, La mort de l'âme, Pick pocket, Les acariens, Le rose pourpre du coeur, Coup de vent, Le temps mue, Matchistador, Souviens-toi, Souvenir du futur, Matchistador (extended), Céline attendue.
Lyrics included.

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       Some of Mathieu's songs are very cinematic, such as the paranoid "Les Acariens", an odd yet charming song about a man whose fear controls his life. "C'est sûrement très psychologique / Ce soir je dors dans un sac plastique," confesses the protagonist.

       He can just as easily serve up a solid rock song like the moody yet hopeful "Coup du Vent" and then offer the funky "Souvenir du Futur" without missing a beat.

       Is there anything he can't do? you'll wonder. In fact, no. The closing track is a gorgeous instrumental duet between a guitar and cello, and followed by a lengthy bonus track that melts from folk into ambient into jungle. M is a brilliant musician, producer and performer. Le Baptême is the future of French pop!