In addition to hosting the excellent podcast dedicated to the 20e anniversary of the release of Dream better by Daniel Bélanger, Fanny Bloom took the opportunity to reinterpret 8 of the 14 tracks from this cult album. As these versions were scattered throughout the five episodes of the podcast, she had the good idea to bring them together in an album with the same title, Dream again, which she co-directs with Thomas Hébert and of which she is artistic director.
It’s still a big challenge to tackle such well-known songs in this way, whether In a Sputnik, To leave you, Dream better Where Untouchable and immortal, of which we know each inflection by heart. But the singer-songwriter offers them to us with humility and intensity, in a kind of exercise of ultimate admiration that shows the extent of her love for this repertoire.
Already bathed in electro-pop, the universe of Fanny Bloom is not so far from that of Dream better. The musician was able to keep this little touch that made the album so special, stripped it and deconstructed it, but always keeping the essence of the songs and original sounds, recognizable among a thousand.
We also like that she transformed two songs into instrumental pieces, A woman, a man, a train and a station and the magnificent You fall, showing, if need be, all the melodic strength of Daniel Bélanger.
The whole is therefore respectful without being identical, and we also feel that the singer bites into each word with relish – it must be said, we often understand the lyrics better than on the original versions! But even if the project is interesting and really charming, and she obviously sings there with all her heart and a lot of emotion, the voice of Fanny Bloom is not that of Daniel Bélanger, we take each other after a few songs to compare and miss the original.
Of course, his intention was not to replace him. But it shows the limits of this kind of exercise, even if it is done with intelligence. A well-felt tribute, therefore, which also shows to what extent Dream better is a centerpiece that has not aged a bit in 20 years, and that makes you want to… dream again.
Reinterpretation
Dream again
Fanny bloom
Audiogram