MESSAGE PERSONNEL

French chanteuse Francoise Hardy was riding high in her popularity when this set was issued in 1975, made up of tracks from 1973 and 1974 as well. The overall feeling of Message Personnel is cinematic. There are the sweeping string arrangements of the legendary Michel Bernholc on all but one track. His direction of a basic rock band backed by a lush set of strings underlined Hardy's wispy yet compelling vocals. On the single, however, "L'Amour En Priv?," Serge Gainsbourg handled production chores with musical directors J.C. Vannier and Georges Moustaki. Electric guitars roll under a sputtering beat before giving way to a shimmering sexy cabaret song that is all joie de vivre and no drama. Moustaki's rock & roll guitars duel the Vannier's high-end strings, which sweep across the mix, for dominance between Gainsbourg's verses. This is also the title track to the Gainsbourg film of the same name. The set ends with "Je Suis Moi," a dramatic rock ballad in the most theatrical sense. Indeed, had it been written and recorded five years later, it would have been conceivable for Meatloaf and Jim Steinman to record it! Message Personnel is a fine example of Hardy at the height of her powers as an interpreter, writer, and singer of songs deeply engrained in the French pop culture vernacular. ~ Thom Jurek