⭐ Official Review [Album]: VÉRONIQUE BÉLIVEAU - "VÉRONIQUE" S/T

What is your favorite track?

  • I'm Gonna Make You Love Me

    Votes: 4 22.2%
  • House Of Love

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • Just Another Dream

    Votes: 2 11.1%
  • All My Tomorrows

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I Want To Get Close To You

    Votes: 2 11.1%
  • One Of Us

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • A Touch Of Paradise

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • Falling In Line

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • What Kind Of Love?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Angel In My Eyes

    Votes: 2 11.1%
  • All Those Years Ago

    Votes: 5 27.8%

  • Total voters
    18
By far my favorite Akiko performance is a duet that she did with Corinne Drewery (of Swing Out Sister) on the classic Jobim song, "Waters Of March"



Fun record! And here she sounds absolutely nothing like Karen Carpenter.


Thanks for posting that! I bought the song just now from iTunes (and also the album) as a result. I'm a big fan of Swing Out Sister, I've always loved Corinne Drewery's voice and I received an iTunes gift card recently so it was a no brainer. Plus now I have a new album and artist to explore. :)
 
I absolutely adore that sparkling Waters of March cover and it's a shame that it's so relatively obscure. But, again, it just sounds nothing like the Akiko of the past. Her voice and accent sound totally different to me. Even her face on the promotional items for the 00s albums look nothing like her. Are we totally sure they're the same person?
 
I absolutely adore that sparkling Waters of March cover and it's a shame that it's so relatively obscure. But, again, it just sounds nothing like the Akiko of the past. Her voice and accent sound totally different to me. Even her face on the promotional items for the 00s albums look nothing like her. Are we totally sure they're the same person?
Good eye (and ear) Jarred! It appears that they aren't the same person after all. In Japan, all of Akiko Kobayashi's albums were released under her full name. In the US, the "City Of Angels" album produced by RC was released simply as "Akiko", and this must be the source of our (my) confusion. It turns out that there is another Akiko, a Japanese jazz singer who goes by only her first name. It's this other Akiko who sings "Waters Of March".

There really should be a law that requires artists to release music under their full name!
 
I had always thought they were one and the same. Thanks for the research Murray. You learn something new every day.
 
Good eye (and ear) Jarred! It appears that they aren't the same person after all. In Japan, all of Akiko Kobayashi's albums were released under her full name. In the US, the "City Of Angels" album produced by RC was released simply as "Akiko", and this must be the source of our (my) confusion. It turns out that there is another Akiko, a Japanese jazz singer who goes by only her first name. It's this other Akiko who sings "Waters Of March".

There really should be a law that requires artists to release music under their full name!

Okay, I was hoping I wasn't going crazy! I found her on AllMusic a while back and heard samples of those jazz records (she's recorded a lot of them) and she sounds pretty good, just nothing like the other Akiko. Neither are well known in the US so I suppose it's easy to get them mixed up. I knew something was up when I heard the 2002 ASFY album with the orchestra and the Waters of March track from around the same time; either she has an otherworldly ability to change the tone and phrasing of her voice or it was a different woman.
 
There really should be a law that requires artists to release music under their full name!

I remember when Harriet arrived on the scene with her music and I went to iTunes to search for her name and this Alternative Band populated under the search results with the exact name after looking at some of the titles I said, oh no that's not her. :eek:
Even if you just search her name in google it doesn't really bring up her or her music but if you search "Harriet music" she appears. Her artist name doesn't help in easily locating her music.
 
I remember when Harriet arrived on the scene with her music and I went to iTunes to search for her name and this Alternative Band populated under the search results with the exact name after looking at some of the titles I said, oh no that's not her. :eek:
Even if you just search her name in google it doesn't really bring up her or her music but if you search "Harriet music" she appears. Her artist name doesn't help in easily locating her music.
I noticed that too when searching for Harriet on iTunes! I maybe could understand her not using her last name professionally, if she had a name that no one could pronounce or spell correctly - like Basia Trzetrzelewska (yes, that's singer Basia's actual last name!) - but that's not Harriet's case at all.

I blame Cher and Madonna for starting this one-name singer nonsense...
 
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In 1989, Richard covered three tracks from John Farnham's 1986 album, 'Whispering Jack'. Two, he recorded with Scott Grimes:- 'You're the Voice' and 'Pressure Down'. The third, 'A Touch of Paradise', he recorded with Veronique. All three songs had been released as singles by John Farnham.

'A Touch of Paradise' was co-written by Australian Ross Wilson with members of his band, and originally recorded with his group, Mondo Rock. Ross Wilson had seventeen charting singles with Mondo Rock, as well as ten with his earlier group, Daddy Cool, plus three solo.

John Farnham's version of 'A Touch of Paradise' was only a very moderate success as a single, reaching Number 24. You can tell that Richard probably used Farnham's version as a template for his version with Veronique, though.

It seems that Richard was going through a phase of getting material from Australia in the late 80s. As well as covering three John Farnham songs, including the Mondo Rock song, he also covered Mark Holden's 'Who Do You Love' on 'Time' and recorded a second Mark Holden song, I noticed recently. I can't remember whether this was with Veronique or Scott Grimes. I'll have to check soon.

I don't think 'A Touch of Paradise' is anywhere near Mondo Rock's finest hour, but I'm posting their version here. This is obviously a home-made video that someone posted on the Internet.

'A Touch of Paradise' is nowhere near John Farnham's finest hour, either, but on the version posted below, you can hear the similarities in arrangement between his version and the later version by Richard and Veronique.



 
I just realised that a CD by Veronique that I bought in Japan called 'The Good, The Bad and the Funky' probably isn't by Veronique Beliveau. The artist on the cover looks the same, has the same hair style and the same name, (just the Veronique'), but any info I've found on the internet about Veronique Beliveau doesn't mention this album. However, the Internet often provides incorrect info, as we all know. Does anybody know, for sure, about this release?
 
I just realised that a CD by Veronique that I bought in Japan called 'The Good, The Bad and the Funky' probably isn't by Veronique Beliveau. The artist on the cover looks the same, has the same hair style and the same name, (just the Veronique'), but any info I've found on the internet about Veronique Beliveau doesn't mention this album. However, the Internet often provides incorrect info, as we all know. Does anybody know, for sure, about this release?
Could you post a photo?
 
Could you post a photo?

Here's an image of the Veronique CD in question. I think she looks similar to Veronique Beliveau. Even the font for her name appears in a similar style to what the other Veronique has used on her albums. When I saw this, I just got the CD for interest's sake, thinking it was the same artist.

Imgur
 
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For reference, Veronique Beliveau released four albums for A&M Records of Canada. They were:

R-4197290-1358267709-8676.jpeg.jpg

1983's TRANSIT. Songs are in French.

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1985's (Cache Ton Coeur) Cover Girl. Also in French.

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1987's BORDERLINE, her first English language album.

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1989's VERONIQUE, the one she did with Richard.

Prior to these she did two French albums for other labels.
 
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Actually I just found some info on that Veronique:

Veronique Della-Bruna

The Isle Of Deserted Pop Stars: Veronique - The Good, The Bad & The Funky (1991)


Her name is Veronique Della Bruna.

That info covers just about everything. Thanks for that, TomSwift.

You can see from the photo on Veronique Della Bruno's CD cover and the lettering of her name why I thought this was Veronique Beliveau. (Can anyone actually show a photo here? I could only do an Imgur link).

Btw, I just watched this Veronique's version of 'Forget Me Nots' on YouTube and didn't think much of it.
 
For reference, Veronique Beliveau released four albums for A&M Records of Canada. They were:

R-4197290-1358267709-8676.jpeg.jpg

1983's TRANSIT. Songs are in French.

R-2243113-1354164693-9923.jpeg.jpg

1985's (Cache Ton Coeur) Cover Girl. Also in French.

R-7349722-1439521249-8627.jpeg.jpg

1987's BORDERLINE, her first English language album.

R-1543656-1518815275-8033.jpeg.jpg

1989's VERONIQUE, the one she did with Richard.

Prior to these she did two French albums for other labels.

Thanks for that, Harry.
 
I’ve been playing this album quite a bit over the last couple of days. One song that has really stuck out is “What Kind Of Love?” The Song reminds me of how Richard produced “(Want You) Back In My Life Again” and “Beechwood 4-5789” and it makes me wonder if it might’ve appeared on an 80’s Carpenters release had Karen lived.
 
It's kind of sad that Veronique never got a fair shake; one Celine came along she was over. I like her voice much better than Dion's, and I would have loved to have heard a whole album of Richard arranged ballads in the style of "All Those Years Ago" which she performs exquisitely and is the only track on the album worth giving a damn about.
 
I just bought this album on CD. I gave it a listen back-to-back yesterday.
I think the drums on some tracks are a little too hot, but perhaps that was the style.

"I want to get close to you" has a better balance overall. Making it my favourite track on the album.
Very interesting to hear "One of us." Richard's take on Abba of course.
I find the ending part of "Just another dream" fascinating too. Richard's more experimental on backing vocals there.
And "Touch of paradise" is like an another off-beat selection with backing vocals like you'd hear on "Time".

I'm sure a lot of time was spend on this project, but it's not as memorable as Richard's other projects.
I prefer "All those years ago" that he demoed with Petula Clark.
And I find Akiko's production was more slick during this time period.
 
Something I’ve just noticed about this album from the sleeve notes:

“Cave people: Véronique Béliveau, Richard Carpenter, Scott Grimes, Greg Goldman & Arthur Glackin”

What on earth are “cave people” and why is Richard one? :laugh:
 
Something I’ve just noticed about this album from the sleeve notes:

“Cave people: Véronique Béliveau, Richard Carpenter, Scott Grimes, Greg Goldman & Arthur Glackin”

What on earth are “cave people” and why is Richard one? :laugh:

That's why I like it. They were having fun on this track.
At the end you can hear chanting of the "cave people" during the fade out.

I know Richard was joking during this special, but I have a feeling that these two didn't always get along in studio. Lol
Just this beginning part before Veronique sings "All those years ago." :laugh:
 
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