Patricia Kaas, whom the foreign press have often billed as France's new Edith Piaf, last hit the headlines appearing as a sultry piano-bar singer in Claude Lelouch's film, And Now Ladies And Gentlemen. The film's screening in several countries such as the U.S. – where La Kaas is still a relative unknown – introduced the singer to new audiences. But her loyal following of fans of many years were more interested in awaiting La Kaas's comeback on the recording front. The blonde diva from a coal-mining town in Alsace Lorraine is now back in the music news with Sexe fort (a new album recently released in Europe on Columbia). According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (5/12/2003) this album confirms Patricia Kaas as far and away the most popular French chanteuse in Germany "at a time when Juliette Gréco has just re-emerged as the last survivor of the heroic era of chanson."

However, Patricia's attempts to drop her chanson image and reinvent herself as a rock chick with guitar riffs on Sexe fort have not met with unanimous applause. The critic from Swiss newspaper 24 Heures (2/12) approves the recent revival of chanson in France but laments the fact that 'variété' stars such as Kaas do not appear to be on the same upward turn. "Patricia Kaas's new offering verges on the downright wasteful," he writes, "The songwriters who concocted Sexe fort have proved incapable of coming up with a single pertinent song or melody strong enough to serve Ms. Kaas's prodigious vocal talent. Goldman, Obispo, Cabrel and Bertignac – for they are the guilty parties – have simply served up a series of clumsy and out-dated FM rock songs and emollient ballads."

Sexe fort has just entered the German Top 100 at no.72 – a rather timid start compared with La Kaas's previous albums which rocketed straight into the Top 20 on a regular basis. This has not stopped the chanteuse from pulling off a media coup with German officialdom, however, her popularity receiving an instant boost from German president Johannes Rau. On 25 November 2003 Der Musikmarkt reported that "Patricia Kaas was awarded the Federal Republic of Germany's National Order of Merit for services rendered to Franco-German relations (...) The German ambassador in Paris presented the award to her in person."

MC Solaar, the French rapper renowned for his linguistic juggling and alliterative wordplay, is now in his 30s. And some might see his new album, Mach 6, as a 'more mature' work. In fact, Mach 6 simply explores the deeper, darker side of life. "On ça me hante Solaar puts himself in the shoes of an illegal immigrant, then with La vie est belle he gets inside the head of a man caught in a bombing raid," reports the Canadian correspondent for Associated Press. "Mach 6, which manages to be both upbeat and playful as well as socially committed, uses a wide palette of musical styles ranging from rap, electro and jazz to African (Hijo de Africa), Indian (Au pays de Gandhi) and Middle Eastern influences. The album also features contributions from (French choir) Les Petits Chanteurs d’Asnières and the Moscow Symphony Orchestra who provide classical accompaniment."

Solaar has been filling as many column inches as Patricia Kaas in terms of extra-curricular activities thanks to his romance with Chloé Bensemoun. On 9 December the Tiroler Tageszeitung (in Austria) reported that "34-year-old Solaar – or Claude M’Barali as he presented himself at the registry office – married 24-year-old Chloé Bensemoun in Chantilly, north of Paris, on Sunday." The couple are apparently expecting their first child "some time in the spring." Ironically, thanks to his association with Mademoiselle Bensemoun the French rap world's "Gangster moderne" has married into "a family who own a string of luxury hotels and casinos in France!"

Meanwhile, true to form, techno double act Daft Punk have come up with the unexpected yet again. Interstella 5555, the manga cartoon for which the duo wrote the soundtrack (and which was presented as a world exclusive at the international film festival in Cannes) hit movie screens in October. And this month Daft Punk reappear in record stores with Daft Club (EMI). British newspaper The Guardian (28/11/2003) hails the compilation as "A largely refreshing collection of remixes which suggests that Discovery (the duo's 2001 offering) contained a great album that somehow never got out." According to The Evening Gazette (5/12/2003), Daft Punk's "musical gems are reworked in the hands of expert remixers such as The Neptunes, Basement Jaxx and The Demon."

And that, dear cyber music fans is the end of our round-up for 2003. We wish you happy listening in 2004 as we await new releases on the rap, techno and chanson front!