''Molly Malone – Balade irlandaise'' is an album by French singer-songwriter

Renaud Renaud Pierre Manuel Séchan (), known as Renaud (), born 11 May 1952, is a French singer, songwriter and actor. His characteristically 'broken' voice makes for a very distinctive vocal style. Several of his songs are popular classics in F ...

, released on 23 November 2009 on

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...

. It is a collection of traditional-style

Irish folk songs Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there w ...

translated into French, an idea that had been maturing in Renaud's mind for almost two decades. Renaud had previously used Irish influences in his 1991 album '' Marchand de cailloux'' and did a low-key tour playing in Irish pubs in 1997. The album was recorded at the

Windmill Lane Studios Windmill Lane Recording Studios (earlier Windmill Lane Studios) is a recording studio in Dublin, Ireland. It was originally opened in 1978 by Brian Masterson and James Morris in premises at 22 Windmill Lane, and it subsequently relocated to its cu ...

in Dublin. It was produced by Frenchman Thomas Davidson Noton and arranged and mixed by Irish musician

Pete Briquette Patrick Martin Cusack (born 2 July 1954), known by the stage name Pete Briquette, is an Irish bassist, record producer and composer. He is a member of the Boomtown Rats and has also played in Bob Geldof's band. Boomtown Rats He was born in Bal ...

, formerly the bass player with

The Boomtown Rats The Boomtown Rats are an Irish rock band originally formed in Dublin in 1975. Between 1977 and 1985, they had a series of Irish and UK hits including "Like Clockwork", "Rat Trap", "I Don't Like Mondays" and "Banana Republic". The original line ...

. Accompanying musicians includes

Terry Woods Terence Woods (born 4 December 1947 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish folk musician, songwriter/singer and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his membership in such folk and folk- rock groups as The Pogues, Steeleye Span, Sweeney's Men, ...

The Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse". T ...

and musicians from

Steeleye Span Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, and we ...

. Despite mixed reviews in the press, ''Molly Malone – Balade irlandaise'' entered the French charts at number one in November 2009. It also reached the top 5 on the albums chart in the French-speaking part of Belgium. The album title "Molly Malone" is assumed to be partly chosen as a reference to Renaud's son Malone. The second half of the title, "Balade irlandaise", is a play on words between "balade" (a stroll) and "ballade" (a ballad).

Track listing

All tracks adapted by Renaud; except where noted. # "Vagabonds" – 3:36 # "Belfast Mill" – 3:40 # "Johnston's Motor Car" – 2:32 # "Je Reviendrai" – 3:32 # "Adieu à Rhondda" – 2:53 # "La fille de Cavan" – 3:14 # "Te marie pas, Mary!" (

Leon Rosselson Leon Rosselson (born 22 June 1934, Harrow, Middlesex, England) is an English songwriter and writer of children's books. After his early involvement in the folk music revival in Britain, he came to prominence, singing his own satirical songs, i ...

) – 3:32 # "À Carlingford" – 3:32 # "La Ballade nord-irlandaise" – 4:31 # "Dubliners" – 4:16 # "Willie McBride" – 7:33 # "Incendie" – 3:38 # "

Molly Malone "Molly Malone" (also known as "Cockles and Mussels" or "In Dublin's Fair City") is a traditional song set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become its unofficial anthem. A statue representing Molly Malone was unveiled on Grafton Street by then Lo ...

" – 2:54 Track 9 was included on the 2007 compilation ''The Meilleur of Renaud''.

Reception

The album received mixed reviews by the press upon its release. Some reviewers noted the audible decline of Renaud's voice, resulting in the out-of-tune singing often overshadowing the music. In ''

Télérama ''Télérama'' is a weekly French cultural and television magazine published in Paris, France. The name is a contraction of its earlier title: ''Télévision-Radio-Cinéma''. Fabienne Pascaud is currently managing editor. Ludovic Desautez is dep ...

'' the reviewer harshly wrote:

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Molly Malone 2009 albums Renaud albums EMI Records albums