Les Souvenirs Sous Ma Frange, the eagerly awaited second album by
Rose, finds the French pop darling stretching out as a songwriter and experimenting with different musical arrangements. There's plenty to enjoy, particularly for fans looking forward to her artistic development, yet Les Souvenirs Sous Ma Frange is just as likely to alienate some of her audience, particularly those hoping for another album of perfectly crafted hit singles like her first. The eponymous album debut of
Rose was something of a French pop sensation. When it was initially released in 2006, it fell on deaf ears for the most part. Some critics were quick to trumpet the album and some keen-eared listeners were quick to champion the lead single, "La Liste," but it wasn't until 2007 that the album found a mass audience, once
Rose began touring around France and the follow-up single, "Ciao Bella," started getting heavy airplay.
Rose eventually broke into the Top Five of the French albums chart in late 2007 and sold well enough to chart for another year's time. It was an album that had something for everyone, a couple catchy singles for radio listeners and a jazzy second half for those looking for something a bit more challenging. On her full-length follow-up effort, Les Souvenirs Sous Ma Frange,
Rose once again starts off the album with a few immediately likable pop songs ("Comment d'Était Déjà," "Chez Moi," "Yes We Did") before veering off into more challenging material. The fourth song, "De Ma Fenêtre," is where the album starts getting unpredictable and increasingly orchestral. The instrumentation varies from song to song, and while some are graced with nice melodies, "Ne Partez Pas" and "Ma Corde au Clou" in particular, others are more difficult, showcasing
Rose's growing ambitions as an experimentalist. The problem with Les Souvenirs Sous Ma Frange that some listeners will have is that the album-opening pop songs unfortunately fall way short of those on her debut album, and the album tracks that follow are more experimental this time than before. This shouldn't detract those drawn to
Rose herself, as her artistic development is in full bloom here, but those who were drawn to her hit singles rather than the singer/songwriter herself are likely to be disappointed by the less accessible direction in which she heads on Les Souvenirs Sous Ma Frange. ~ Jason Birchmeier