[.ca] Seul

Amazon.ca:
À peine un an après sa sortie, Seul, premier album solo de Pierre Garand, alias Garou, avait été vendu à 1,75 million d'exemplaires dans le monde. Il faut dire que celui qui est devenu une star quasi instantanément en empruntant les habits du pauvre Quasimodo dans l'opéra rock Notre Dame de Paris (1998) a pu compter sur une machine impressionnante pour cette réalisation. Produit par René Angélil, l'album profite des talents de Céline Dion (dans l'émouvant duo "Sous le vent"), de Didier Barbelivien, de Bryan Adams, de Richard Cocciante et, bien sûr, de Luc Plamondon qui signe les paroles de six des 14 chansons. Malgré des mélodies qu'on souhaiterait moins convenues parfois et certaines ballades sirupeuses ("L'Adieu", "Demande au soleil", "Je n'attendais que vous") qu'on a du mal à associer à la voix caverneuse du chanteur, Seul offre plusieurs moments de superbe intensité (en particulier avec "Gitan", "Seul", "Sous le vent" et la belle "Lis dans mes yeux"). On comprend d'ailleurs pourquoi ce disque a permis à Garou de remporter quatre trophées au Gala de l'ADISQ 2001 (Interprète masculin de l'année, Artiste québécois s'étant le plus illustré hors Québec, Album de l'année, pop rock, et Album de l'année, meilleur vendeur). --Julie Sergent

Amazon.ca:
Talk about friends in high places. On this, his debut solo disc, Sherbrooke-born Garou (a.k.a. Pierre Garard) has help from Celine Dion and Bryan Adams, not to mention Aldo Nova--not bad for a guy who came to the attention of French audiences as Low Sunday (Quasimodo) in Notre-Dame de Paris. Seul, recorded after his successful stage run, is a theatrical production with all the trademarks of French-Canadian pop--grandiose synths, antiseptic guitar work and melodramatic vocals. Garou, who sings in a raspy baritone, pulls out all the stops in his vocal performances, as though reaching out not just to the back rows but to the people waiting outside in line for tickets. The ballad with Dion is, of course, a showstopper, while the rocker "Que l'amour est violent" is as operatic as anything off Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell album. "Criminel" is swaggering funk-pop and "Jusqu'à me perdre," co-written by Adams, lightweight pop, and "Gambler," with its sounds of slot machines and Garou's blustery vocal, is kind of fun. According to one Web site biography (translated from the French) this disc has sold "one million specimens." --Shawn Conner

This is a great album!!:
When I studied in France in 2001, Garou was huge (maybe still is?) and you heard his music everywhere. Now everytime I listen to this album, it brings back fond memories. I love almost every song on this album (not too fond of Criminel and Gambler though). You'll love this album too if you're into pop ballads like those of Celine Dion. The lyrics are so beautiful, but even if you don't speak French, the music alone is worth buying the album. Garou has a very unique, sexy voice (and image :-)) and I would say that this album is definitely worth your money.

just another review:
Garou is an extremely talented singer! It was his role in Notre Dame, which is brilliant by the way, that led me to listen to Seul. His voice is low and gravelly but it's beautiful and pure masculinity in my opinion. Perhaps some of the songs on the album are a bit too "pop-ish" but give the man a break - it's his first album and I think he did a great job with it. Anyway, the songs aren't as important as the way he sings them - with a lot of passion and heart! I'm enjoying it :)

Sexy Voice, But ...:
I like the first song, 'Gitan', very much, but the rest of the album is basically standard, histrionic Euro-pop, very much like Celine Dion, Eros Ramazzotti, or Laura Pausini. 'Sous le vent', in fact, is a duet with Dion. To give you an idea of his approach: Rene Angelil, Dion's husband and manager, manages Garou. Like Ricky Martin, a lot of Garou's appeal is based on his physical attributes (which are considerable.) However, I like his voice - it's low, growly, and sexy. He definitely can sing, and belts out these pop songs with a lot of emotion. Garou is a French-Canadian singer from Quebec who sings in French. The French lyrics are included in the packaging (thank you, Sony), without any English translation. His first wide exposure came when he played Quasimodo in the musical 'Notre-Dame de Paris', and 'Seul' is his first solo album. The cd's sound quality is very good, and the musicians are fine. The voice is great; I just wish he had chosen to sing different songs.

Just another pop singer...:
...as if there weren't enough already... I would recommend it to a 13-year-old girl though - something to cry over after a quarrel with a boyfriend... A message to all the others: don't waste your money. It isn't worth it. Really.

Cheeze and a Hot Dog ?:
This CD is soo cheezy that you cannot get pass the production. If you are searching for a good francophone product. I suggest CDs from CELINE DION "DEUX" or anything by BRUNO PELLETIER or SYLVAIN COSETTE. This CD has the SONY stamp all over it and sounds like it should be used as audition material for STAR SEARCH. Very cheezy !

• Gitan
• Que l'Amour Est Violent
• Demande au Soleil
• Seul
• Sous le Vent - Celine Dion, Garou
• Je N'Attendais Que Vous
• Criminel
• Calme Plat
• Plaisir de Ton Corps
• Moitié du Ciel
• Lis Dans Mes Yeux
• Jusqu'a Me Perdre
• Gambler
• Adieu