Bringing water back from Mars, then extracting the salt to sell it to millionaire gourmands, does that sound crazy to you? Ever since the Curiosity probe discovered blue gold on the red planet, someone’s probably been pondering the possibility… On this first track on their album of the same name, the duo Grands Jardins looks at the quest for profit and its excesses. The general tone and caustic commentary are similar to those of singers like David Marin or Olivier B\u00e9lisle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let’s go back to the Parc national des Grands-Jardins, in Charlevoix, a few tens of millions of kilometres from Mars. An inspiring place, as Chantal Bergeron and Alexandre Dufresne prove beyond doubt with this collection of folk songs enriched with tasteful arrangements. One can feel Bergeron’s classical baggage behind them. The cover illustration, created by Alexandre Dufresne, could be a neo-landscape tribute to the Charlevoix painter Ren\u00e9 Richard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the low notes, Bergeron\u2019s voice reminds us of the late \u00c8ve Cournoyer, while in the high notes, she reminds us that beauty is vital. She\u2019s also a violinist, pianist, and mandolin player, one who\u2019s accompanied C\u00e9line Dion, Kl\u00f4 Pelgag, Ginette Reno, and Catherine Major. Dufresne is a luthier and multi-instrumentalist. The duo wrote and composed everything \u2013 except the lyrics to \u201cSongbirds\u201d, crafted by Aloysius Bell \u2013 and co-produced Grands Jardins<\/em> with R\u00e9mi Gigu\u00e8re. Elite musicians supported the duo on a fifth of the pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Listening to Grands Jardins<\/em>, we float on a carpet of lichens while our singing nature guides present \u201cLa faune\u201d, \u201cL’ouverture de la chasse\u201d, \u201cLe renard\u201d and \u201cLa flore\u201d. On \u201cLa grotte du Last Call\u201d, we join Sara Dufour and Alex Burger on the trails once laid out by Richard Desjardins. This album reminds us that song is a natural resource here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n