My review of the French Canadian singer Daniel Lavoie

Daniel Lavoie is a French Canadian singer. He is originally from Winnipeg and now lives in Quebec. He had great success in the 80's and 90's and traveled overseas with his band. He tried his luck with English songs with little success. One of my favorite songs is Jour de Plaine (Days of the Prairies).

This French poetic, yet political song, talks about life in the prairies. It also talks about the disappearance of French in western Canada. This was a popular song when I was in high school. They actually made a documentary of the same name. I saw him live a few times. He has a great velvety voice and is a terrific piano player.
The following song called Docteur Tendresse is another, more recent, hit by Daniel Lavoie. It has a bizarre look, with a baby doll as the main protagonist. However, the song itself is quite romantic. Lavoie is known for his romantic songs and for his poetic verses. He uses the French language with ease and conjures up images of the past and present human conditions.

I bought Ou La Route Mene and I use some of the videos in my French classrooms. The two previous songs are used in one of my classes. All of his hits are on this compilation. There is the music and also the music videos with commentary in French.
Douce Heure, or sweet hours, is a beautiful compilation of his most romantic songs. He is a wonderful singer-songwriter, pianist, and poet. His hits are more like Easy listening, with a pop feel, depending on the period in which he wrote them. Daniel Lavoie is still involved in the music business and releases albums every few years. He comes to Winnipeg every couple of years and puts on a sold out show every time. He's one of my favorite singers.