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ZE 022CD
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Originally released in 1996, Wandatta is one of Lio's most personal albums. After a five-year gap from her previous release, "Wandatta" alludes to her given name, Wanda Maria de Vasconcelos, as the pop icon/actress attempted to shed her nymphette status while still remaining as provocative as ever. Recorded at Studio Musica & Studio de La Grande Armée, Wandatta was initially refused by her major label who did not understand their Lolita's sudden change of style and began complaining that Lio's new songs were far too removed from her media image. After a break from her label, Lio teamed up with renowned French song writer Boris Bergman, and the result is amazing: dark and sometimes disturbing, both the music and the lyrics are often paradoxical. Based upon a hypnotic set of percussions, "Manchette" and "J'te Frappe" are two heavy tracks with experimental touches, while "Cruauté Menthol" and "In Extremis" tackle the dirtier and more frenetic aspect of rock n' roll. Wandatta is an eclectic album fusing influences from Mexico and Japan, also expressing a deep melancholy inspired by Portuguese traditional fado. Lio said of this album: "I didn't want to kill Lio, but we had to find a certain balance." This assertion is exactly what makes this record so malleable and revealing.
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ZE 020CD
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This is Lio's fifth album, originally released in 1988, now remastered and reissued with four bonus tracks by Ze Records. The incredible success of Pop Model and its four amazing singles repositioned Lio as one of the most important French pop singers of her time. Intense promotion, multiple entreaties, heavy radio airplay, magazine covers, countless numbers of TV appearances without mentioning the three videos constantly broadcasted on musical networks, certainly kept Lio and her producer Michel Esteban busy. Nevertheless, Pop Model needed a worthy successor. With the aid of Jacques Duvall, Guillaume Israel (who wrote two wonderful tracks: "C'est Ça Ma Vie" and "Malaise Sur La Falaise"), Vincent Palmer and Yann Leker, Can Can set out to remold Lio in image and song. At the beginning, the concept behind this album was to be a tribute to the typically French state of mind symbolized by the famous can-can style. Born in the late 19th century at the notorious Moulin Rouge Parisian cabaret, the can-can is an exclusively feminine ritualized and provocative dance. This revolutionary, original, cheerful and politically- incorrect state of mind seemed to be the perfect lineage and the natural evolution of Lio's image initiated with Pop Model. Obviously, Can Can featured potential hits as much as Pop Model, however, the switch from energetic singles to the softer ballades of Can Can (like the single "Seules Les Filles Pleurent") was clearly misunderstood by the audience. Featuring anthemic rock, bubbling synth pop, burlesque-tinged siren songs and morose ballads, Can Can did not sell as well as her previously-released albums. However, Lio clearly remained a compelling personality caught in a marvellous and imaginative visual context, confirmed here by the album artwork done by legendary artist Hugo Pratt.
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ZE 021CD
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This is Lio's sixth album, originally released in 1991, now remastered and reissued with five bonus tracks by Ze Records. The electro-pop Lolita, French chanteuse and can-can diva travelled to London to record Des Fleurs Pour Un Caméléon which was produced under the general direction of famous French singer/producer Etienne Daho. The album is clearly influenced by the English pop-rock style of that time. Lio's performance on this record is tinged with soft and deep intonations, colored by her famous "joyful despair" approach. Without overshadowing her protégée's performance, Daho's universe is omnipresent: keyboards and guitars harmoniously intermingle until they reach a flawless climax and melodies are catchy without being oversweet. Lio's smoother voice perfectly compliments this atmosphere, whether it is on the electric "Je Me Tords," or the cover of "Girl From Ipanema," and the touch of producer Daho is impeccable, along with the collaboration of artists like Gota and Jacques Duvall. Des Fleurs Pour Un Caméléon wasn't as commercially successful as some of its predecessors, but sometimes, the chameleon is doing its job so perfectly that it remains unnoticed.
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