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Les grands espaces – Isabelle Boulay’s True Nature Revealed

Les grands espaces, Isabelle Boulay‘s brand new album, will be launched on November 8th, 2011. The album’s 15 tracks will take you on a Grand Tour of both Europe and America with a wealth of ballads and daydreams, be they covers or originals to be discovered.

The folksy, country album was produced by Benjamin Biolay, a third-time collaborator of Isabelle’s (on Mieux qu’ici bas, 2000, Tout un jour, 2004, and Nos lendemains, 2008). « It seemed only natural to be working on the album with him », the singer says. « I knew that, what with his musical culture, his talent and his way of sublimating melodies, I could let myself go entirely. » Biolay also joined in on the music with trumpet and organ, singing along to Summer Wine by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra.

The adventure kicked off early last fall, with the radio debut Fin octobre, début novembre. A romance as well as an ode to Montreal, the song was written especially for Isabelle by Mario Leblanc. Jean-Louis Murat then contributed the poetic ballad Amour aime aussi nous voir tomber, Michel Rivard and Eve Déziel offered the moving Partir au loin, Benjamin Biolay shared his cynical yet tender take on romance with Voulez-vous l’amour?, and American lyricists Ross Copperman and Alyssa Bonagura wrote All I Want Is Love. Lastly, Steve Marin presented her with Les grands espaces, which gave the album its title.

On the covers side, Isabelle sings Souffrir par toi n’est pas souffrir by French singer-songwriter Julien Clerc; Où va la chance? by Phil Ochs (as popularized by Françoise Hardy), Jolie Louise by Daniel Lanois (with a cajun twist!), and Mille après mille, by Gérald « Gerry » Joly. Also featured on the album are the songs To Know Him Is To Love Him, a Phil Spector standard, and At Last, the 1940′s classic by Etta James and the Glenn Miller Orchestra… To cap it all, the album boasts the exceptional participation of legendary country star Dolly Parton, who paired up with Isabelle on True Blue, recorded in Nashville.

Les grands espaces – open spaces – are where Isabelle belongs, both in landscape and in song. The native of a tiny hamlet in Gaspésie has since roamed the world, singing wherever she goes, discovering uncountable new horizons. « I wanted an album both familiar and uncanny », Isabelle says, « an album that would celebrate the giddiness of life, precious, fragile life. With this album I feel I’m finally revealing my true nature ».

isabelleboulay.com