Julien's North American tour was planned to stop off at only English-speaking towns - but the night we caught up with the singer he was playing two dates at his only French port of call (Gâtineau, 26 and 27 April). In fact, Julien's schedule announced that on 26 and 27 April he would bring the house down in Ottawa (the capital of Ontario). But the venue where the French singer actually ends up performing his concert is in the suburb of Gâtineau, on the other side of the river Ottawa - which basically means French-speaking Quebec! Tickets for both of Julien's concerts in Gâtineau have sold out long in advance and - as a quick look round the audience packed into the 650-seater 'Salle Odyssée' confirms - there's a bigger French turn-out than at Julien's previous shows. Looks like the French star will feel at home tonight!

Needless to say, when Julien arrives on stage on Tuesday night he has no problem winning his audience over whatsoever. Supported by his two loyal musicians - pianist Jean Schultheis and guitarist Hervé Brault - the singer launches into his 'recital' with J'écris, a ballad based on a text by the French poet Marcelline Desbordes-Valmore. The décor of the show - totally minimalist and pared-down - is in perfect keeping with Julien's intimate acoustic show "Entre Nous" (a show which, incidentally, proved a huge hit in France earlier this year). On the American leg of his tour the French star proves to be more loquacious than usual, however, laughing and joking with the audience right from the beginning of his set.

A number of Julien's Greatest Hits have been rolled out for the occasion. But they have been pared-down and re-orchestrated to suit the singer's new acoustic style. In fact, Clerc classics such as Partir, Le Patineur, Danses-y, Le Cœur volcan and La Californie end up gaining a distinctly modern, if quieter, feel. Of course, the best thing about Greatest Hits is that they always turn out to be a crowd-pleaser - and the audience at the 'Salle Odyssée' are no exception! They're soon singing along with the chorus at the top of their voices, dredging lyrics up from the depths of their collective musical memory.

Judging by the ease with which the audience belts out Julien Clerc's Greatest Hits, the singer appears to be playing to a venue packed with faithful French fans rather than an audience of English-speaking newcomers discovering his work for the first time! Indeed, when Julien launches into a cover of Confidences pour confidences (his pianist Jean Schultheis' huge, but unique, French hit in 1981) the audience are practically on their feet applauding after only the opening bars!

The audience also gets a bit emotional when Julien gets into his rendition of the French chanson classics, covering Piaf's legendary Hymne à l'amour, Bécaud's Et maintenant and Aznavour's Sur ma vie. By the time Julien gets round to Brassens' J'ai rendez-vous avec vous and Brel's La Quête, the audience have actually got to their feet for the first of a series of standing ovations. (This must certainly have surprised the singer, as audiences back home in France are not quite so eager to leap to their feet as their Quebecois cousins!)

At the end of the concert the audience gather together in the lobby, long-time Clerc fans swapping their impressions with those who only 'discovered' Julien tonight. And the verdict is exactly the same: boundless enthusiasm and appreciation! The audience reaction will certainly warm the singer's heart as tomorrow he heads back to "Anglophone Land" via Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles and then New York.

However, Julien appears to have little to worry about. While his tour's not about to catapult him to mega-star status in the States (à la Céline Dion!), it certainly looks set to earn the singer a whole new following of appreciative fans!