Putumayo Presents: French Cafe

I bought this for a friend of mine who is currently studying French.When we broke it out and listened to it,I was surprised how much I really liked it.I expected to hear "Edith Piaf" imitations. But it surprised me as to the variety andimpact this album has. The music is very good. It's nice to hear a musical "foreign"interpretation on life, in general.I've been to the south of France (Avignon & Marseille) and thought it was at leastas beautiful as Northern California (but not as friendly).I think it accurately portrays a sense of what it's like to spend part of theday in a french cafe (minus the waiters who point,snigger, and laugh at youbecause you are not french nor fluent in french).My advice as to the best used of this album: find a "french cafe" in the USA, who playthis album. At least you'll get waited on.Of course you can play "french cafe" on your own patio at home, if you want to get creative(minus the hassle of actually going to a country where Americans and others areregularly "trashed").You can pull out your extended cigarette holders, and wear your black berets to one side,have a sense of "angst" on your face, repeatedly pull on your hair in an artistic sort offashion, wear a scowl on your forehead, and pretend to be worried about the world; surroundyourself with flowers, sidewalk cafe umbrellas & tables.You're almost there..............!

This turned out to be exactly the sort of French music I had been looking for to help me develop my French auditory processing skills. The lyrics are as crisp as can be, the simple instrumental support does not get in the way of hearing the words, and the pacing of the language is slow enough that the words don't get all jumbled together. That's true on every song. The accompanying liner notes booklet contains about one page in English and one page in French about each of the songs. The one drawback is that the lyrics are not included. As another reviewer reported, most of the lyrics can be found at paroles.net as long as you have the dedication to search out one song at a time. Just pasting in the title of a song from Amazon's listing does not always yield the song immediately. There are some spelling variations. Sometimes you will need to browse an alphabetical title list or search on the name of the artist first in order to find a title.

If like me you LOVE the musique of France this album will not disappoint you ; it is a fantastic collection by the great crew at Putumayo who know their World Music ! Included here are some of the greats of French music like Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birken , some other fabulous artists like Paris Combo etc. & even Bardot ! Other artists you may want to check out not included here are Francoise Hardy , France Gall , Carla Bruni , Michele Berger , Julien Clerc & the amazing Edit Piaf & Yves Montand . So if you fancy a relaxing cafe au lait en Paris this is for you ; I own it , have listened to it countless times , gave it to a friend who loves it too , so see you there & ENJOY !!! - Hardie McGehee singer/songwriter/world music collector

I love this CD and it is one of my favorite French CD's (I own many). Putumayo does such a great job of putting together wonderful compelations from different artists. If you are looking for something you will be able to enjoy during a nice dinner at home, a relaxing car ride or as some easy listening background music, this is a great CD to get. I speak French on an intermediate level, and I've enjoyed trying to figure out what the songs are about. My husband, on the other hand, speaks no French at all, but also enjoys this CD as much as I do. Kind of strange as his regular favorites CD's include anything by U2, The Killers, Cold Play and the like. With that said, I guess French Cafe will appeal to anyone! Additionally, the new Paris Cafe, also by Putumayo, is just as popular in my house!

This album contains 13 bouncy tracks of French music, some by famous musicians. The music is all in French, so I didn't understand a word of it, but it's mellow and makes good background music. There is a good mix of women and men singers, so that you will find whatever it is you like here in terms of vocalists. I think this is a good album, very relaxed and easy to listen to, but it is different enough from American pop to make an impression as "exotic." Much fun, and a good time!

Lovely collection.....wide spectrum of dreamy French tunes and artists.....

on time and in excellent condition

I bought this origionally in Target of all places in the check out line. I liked it so much I kept giving it away to friends and buying myself another copy. I think I have purchased maybe 5 of these which says it all. if you are having a nice little gathering put this on as background music. It really sets a nice "sophisticated" mood I think. Look for the others in the series.

This compilation is one of the best cd-s with french music I have ever heard. There is also one titled "Paris" (another Putumayo release). They both let me feel as if I was again in Paris, sitting at Champs Elysees or at Montmartre while street musicians play some french music...:)Extraordinary feeling!

Good background music when you have guests, atmospheric but not intrusive. Perfect taken with a pot of strong coffee, newspapers and the kids away on a sleepover! Next best thing to a weekend break in Paris.

I chose this music to play whilst entertaining friends to a french Style meal. It struck the right balance of mood for our get -together and the variety of artists and songs made interesting listening.

ANOTHER GOOD RELEASE FROM PUTUMAYO.GOOD STRONG COLLECTION OF CLASSIC FRENCH CAFE MUSIC.GOOD SOUND AND WIDE CHOICE OF STYLES MAKE THIS A GREAT RELEASE.

Some great tracks. A Christmas present for my parents. Listened to it whilst wrapping christmas presents. Fantastic background music, uplifting and tres, tres french...