Souvenirs d'Amour

Roxanne Fontana's 1999 release was produced by the Rascals' Dino Danelli and had more of a dance feel. This self-produced, ten-song CD shows musical growth and is a fun excursion into Fontana's vision of new wave and power pop. "Eyes of the Defeated," with its dense guitars by the artist, dark vocal, and underground rock vibe, is a successful blending of pop and punk. Dressed like a '60s British artist on the inside cover, a la Twiggy, the Italian Fontana reminds one of a rock & roll Francoise Hardy, a Marianne Faithful without the despair. "Deep Sea" is a compact, nearly three-minute trip featuring fellow Etoile artist Mat Treiber on guitar. (Treiber married Fontana in between the release of her first album and Souvenirs d'Amour.) On "Roman's Holiday," the singer's voice dances over plucky guitar and drums set far in the background. Fontana does a fine job producing herself, and the record is a departure from the sound forged on the debut disc. Gordon Raphael's flute adds to the mystery, with that "She's a Rainbow" style the Rolling Stones played with. In fact, that song would be a perfect cover for Fontana, who wrote all the titles here except for McTell's "Michael in the Garden," the wonderfully dreamy opening track. Laurent "Lolo" Piacentino's drums create a nice foundation for Fontana's questioning vocal. The guitar and bass swell up powerfully on this tune, making it very commercial. As she sang "L'amour Est Bleu" on her first album, Love Is Blue, she concludes this album with an original sung in French, "La Mer D'Obscurite," translated by Goldberg. She comes off like Francoise Hardy fronting the Breeders, which is a very good thing. Fontana knows how to create a mood, and everything about the package, from the cover photo like a picture postcard to the thick sound, shows a real affection for and devotion to her profession.