****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Over the years, I've become quite a big fan of this French rapper and musician, but this was the album that started it all for me. I wasn't familiar with him or his music when he released his first four albums from 1998 to 2004, but one day in a hotel room in 2006, I came across a live performance promoting this album on a French television channel. The music was mesmerizing, jazz-hip hop fusion (actually tending more towards jazz, with all of the live musicians playing primarily acoustic instruments!), and I made a point to write down his name, "Oxmo Puccino", and order a copy of this CD on Amazon when I got back to the U.S. Over the past decade, this "Lipopette Bar" album has never grown old for me, and in fact, I've ordered additional copies over the years to take on trips or to share with friends. It's one of those rare albums that you can put on and listen to from start to finish without wanting to skip a single track, which is refreshing after all the albums I've bought where I might be lucky to want to hear three or four songs again. In fact, I've found this CD to be like a book or a TV show, where you really do need to put it on and listen to it from start to finish, instead of just picking out a song or two to add to your favorite playlist. It's best appreciated in the context of the whole, delving into this little world that Oxmo and his band have created here. As other reviewers here have commented, it's a great CD to listen to while chilling at home, driving in one's car (which is where I often listen to it), or even as the background music for a party or other social gathering. This particular subgenre of rap is quite different that most of what we've seen in America over the past decade, much more artistic and accompanied by a deep sense of musicality.On a personal note, my 9-year-old son and I had the chance to meet Oxmo during a trip to Europe a few months ago, and I was pleasantly surprised at how approachable he was, taking the time to talk to us and take photos and sign autographs, and I saw him doing the same with other fans and with other children who were at the concert. I also learned recently that he's been a UNICEF ambassador for a few years and has done quite a bit of work for a number of worthwhile causes. Anyhow, I became a fan of his music after hearing this album, but after seeing the man in person and observing his kindness to my son and to the other people at his concerts, he's won himself a fan for life. If you're a fan of good jazz music and artistic rap that sometimes borders on spoken word, do yourself a favor and check out this CD, even if, like me, you hardly understand any French at all. And while you're at it, check out the rest of his CDs, especially those released after this one (post-2006), as Oxmo Puccino's sound has continued to grow and expand. But for me, this is the album that started it all. Check it out!
