Piece of My Soul Garou

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CD

  • Release Date: 05/13/2008
  • Label: SONY/BMG INT'L
  • UPC: 886971572025

Listener Rating: (1 ratings)

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  • Overview
  • Tracks
  • Editorial Reviews
  • Customer Reviews
  • Details & Credits
Track List
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Piece of My Soul

1LISTENStand Up 3:51
2LISTENAccidental 3:47
3LISTENBurning 3:20
4LISTENHeaven's Table 3:16
5LISTENAll the Way 2:58
6LISTENTake a Piece of My Soul 3:17
7LISTENWhat's the Time in NYC 4:19
8LISTENYou and I 3:22
9LISTENFirst Day of My Life 4:08
10LISTENNothing Else Matters 3:35
11LISTENBack for More 3:44
12LISTENBeautiful Regret 3:30
13LISTENComing Home 3:35

About this Artist

Editorial Reviews

Something of a protégé of Celine Dion (he's managed by her husband and manager, René Angélil, and made his commercial breakthrough with a 2000 duet with Dion, "Sous le Vent"), Quebecois adult contemporary singer Garou (born Pierre Garand) has until now stuck to the French-language market. Piece of My Soul is his first English-language album, and it follows a similar formula to Dion's push into the Anglophone market a little over a decade before, featuring songs by Dion's core stable of songwriters (including 1980s one-hit wonder Aldo Nova, who co-wrote the title track and "Coming Home") as well as tracks by bigger names. Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas wrote the first single, the pop/rocker "Stand Up" (not a cover of the Ludacris single of the same name, which would have been as much a hoot as Dion's ill-advised take on AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long"), and the dramatic ballad "First Day of My Life" (already a 2006 hit for ex-Spice Girl Melanie C) was written by Enrique Iglesias. The pleasant songs and glossy radio-ready arrangements here seem quite calculated toward the American adult contemporary market. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

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  • Ratings: 1Reviews: 1

Garou's first English CD doesn't disappointby Veggiechiliqueen

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October 25, 2008: After being discovered singing in Sherbrooke's bars, Garou rocketed to fame in 1997 starring as Quasimodo in Luc Plamondon's Notre Dame de Paris. His debut album Seul was followed by Reviens and Garou. During this time, Garou was under the management of Celine Dion's husband Rene Angelil. There had been rumors for years regarding his first English album, and Corey Hart even mentioned writing two songs for it ("10,000 Horses" and "In Your Sweater") on his website. But other than the rare English cover of "Dust in the Wind" on Within and the English-langauge recording of Notre Dame De Paris (Music From the Show, fans have had to wait for "Piece of My Soul."

"Piece of My Soul" also marks Garou's departure from Rene Angelil in order to start his own label, Wolfgang, and to devote more time to a film/TV career. This also marks a departure from his strong team of French-language songwriters such as Eric Lapointe, Didier Barbelivien, Jacques Veneruso, and Gildas Arzel. However, he gets some well-known help from Rob Thomas on Stand Up, Enrique Iglesias on The First Day of My Life and Ronan Hardiman on What's the Time In NYC. In a change from his previous albums, All the Way is penned by Garou himself in a double-entendre homage to two of his great loves: poker and women (he's credited by his real name Pierre Garand; Corey Hart's songs seemed to have disappeared by the wayside). Like many Quebecois, Garou's bilingual; his English diction is mostly flawless (for most of his early career he was singing covers of English-language R&B and pop). The ballads are well crafted and mainly low-key, and this definitely deserves a listen if you've never before heard Garou. I found Heaven's Table to be particularly mesmerizing, and the haunting Nothing Else Matters, based on the 2005 tsunami.

It seems that Sony BMG Canada isn't putting a lot of promotional effort / funds into Garou's first English CD; more than a month after its domestic release in Canada, I only found one (not very favorable) review in the Montreal Gazette, and there's no release date listed for the US. Surprising, since Rob Thomas and Enrique Iglesias are bankable names in the States. It's a pity, really, because as usual Garou pours his heart and soul into bringing the thirteen songs to life, and this would have been a perfect break into the market south of the (Canadian) border: oh, and it doesn't hurt that Garou's versatile (he plays several instruments including guitar, piano, and trumpet), charming, easy on the eyes, and has a wicked sense of humor in French and English. I only hope that "Piece of My Soul" will receive a launch in the US so that Garou gets the attention he deserves; his albums are head and shoulders above the prefab blandness crowding our ClearChannel airwaves.

I Also Recommend: Seul, Reviens [Bonus Track].