Pauline Croze tiptoed her way onto the ‘nouvelle French chanson’ scene in 2005, arriving discreetly without the slightest media or marketing hype. Thanks to a string of hits including Mise à nu, T’es beau and Mal assis, the ‘nouvelle chanteuse’ built up a wide following of fans. And her debut album, simply entitled Pauline Croze, went on to go double gold. Pauline then confirmed her reputation live on stage with a tour of over 150 dates including a sold-out performance at the legendary Olympia in Paris in 2006. Ms. Croze might have been tempted to lie back and rest on her laurels for a while, but, no, the innovative ‘chanteuse’ has gone out on a limb instead, releasing a second album which could not be more different to her first. Even the singer herself admits that she is "not sure all my fans are going to follow me on this one!"

A change of scene

Worn out by her long and intensive effort on the road, Pauline decided to take a full four-month break once her tour was completed. She opted for an instant change of scene, spending the entire four months "travelling, recharging her batteries and reflecting on things." On her return it was clear that more than a few things had changed. "I knew I wanted to break away from that totally limiting image of being a singer with a guitar," she says, "I wanted to make a complete break with the way I’d composed my songs up to that point."

It was in this totally new state of mind that Pauline began work on her second album, Un bruit qui court. Her new songs, she says, were gathered along the way in the course of her break. Feeling that she had bared her soul rather too much on her debut album, the singer - who has penned eleven out of the thirteen tracks on her new album herself - has adopted a greater distance this time round. Varying authorial viewpoints, Pauline has dropped her habit of writing in the first person and concentrated on penning simple songs about life’s quirky ups and downs that her audience can readily identify with.

Pauline admits that singing and songwriting are a form of homeopathic cure for her, which at times come close to therapy. "I continue to use my songs as a way of arriving at a deeper understanding of things," she says. Themes on her new album include the raptures of love (Décembre), an exploration of people’s need for the Other (Légère (soulève-moi)), interpersonal problems (Les gens qui jasent, Sur ton front) and how to come to terms with one’s expectations in life (Nous voulons vivre). Wider issues such as environmental concerns also raise their head on songs such as La couleur de la mer. As usual, with this artist who claims she writes "without any form of self-censorship", Pauline’s deepest truths lie in what she does not say. Un bruit qui court is full of meaningful silences and, interestingly enough, when Arthur H was commissioned to write the song Baiser d’adieu, Pauline says she felt almost embarrassed by the directness of its lyrics.

A musical revolution

But the real revolution on Un bruit qui court lies on a musical level. These days, Pauline is a smiling, luminous, relaxed presence. She has taken risks on her second album and she knows it and feels better for it. Gone are the days when she simply sat and strummed away solo on her precious guitar! The new Pauline Croze has freed up her arrangements and opened her sound to multiple influences, surrounding herself with a new bunch of musicians. The latter include bassist Martyn Barker and drummer Simon Edwards (a renowned rhythm section who have worked with Beth Gibbons, lead singer of British trip hop group Portishead) and Mano Solo’s guitarist Jean-Louis Solans who was responsible for the musical programming on Un bruit qui court as well as guitar.

But perhaps the most significant musical change on Pauline’s second album is the fact that it was produced by Jean Lamoot (the studio wizard renowned for his work with the likes of Alain Bashung and Noir Désir). "I didn’t have any fixed ideas about working with any one producer," Pauline says, "I honestly didn’t have anyone particular in mind. What happened was Jean and I decided to take one track and do a test together. And after two days’ work on it, I knew I didn’t want to change producers. Jean Lamoot is exceptional at what he does and he’s done a wonderfully precise job on my album." Un bruit qui court certainly runs the musical gamut, veering from rock and ‘chanson’ to African, jazz and trip hop influences.

Every detail on Pauline’s new album counts, especially the voice she is now making full use of as an instrument in its own right. Un bruit qui court benefits from the new liberties she has taken in both the arrangements and the compositions. And at times this light, lively and elegant opus is only steps away from the experimental edge of tonal music. 

"I guess you can say I’ve come out of my bubble since my first album," Pauline laughs, "I’ve grown up a bit these days!" Un bruit qui court is certainly proof of the singer’s new-found maturity. While retaining the freshness and spontaneity that constituted the strength of her first album, Pauline has added a series of new shades and nuances to her music. Her second album, so boldly, audaciously different from her first, places her on a new musical tangent - a tangent that many a ‘grande dame’ of French ‘chanson’ has negotiated before her!