Celine Dion wants to invite you into her world. On her latest release, 1 Fille and 4 Types, she wants to give you a little peek at what it's like to be The Real Celine Dion -- and she's going to give it to you all in French.
At first, it seemed like Celine was just another wacky import from the north -- a randy French-Canadian lass with a set of pipes that would give a train a run for its money -- who was sent down to entertain and annoy us at the same time. She also liked to wink at the camera a lot. But now, all that has changed. Celine is not that simple, creepy girl anymore; she's a complex woman who grew up, retired, came out of retirement, and set up shop in Vegas. So, what's it like to be the new Celine? Well, according to the CD booklet, it seems to be a battle -- a battle between the old "Paris Celine," with her trademark long flowing locks of blonde hair and bulky sweaters, and the new "Vegas Celine," who, with her cropped hair and tiny fake-vintage T-shirt, appears to have been transformed into a 15-year old lesbian with a back-up band.
The music on the CD oscillates between Paris Celine songs -- light, airy jaunts through enchanted forests that are reminiscent of ABBA, only with flutes -- to Vegas Celine songs -- little alt-country ditties with acoustic guitar and forced, raw lyrics -- all in her native French of course. This may leave American audiences scratching their heads, but one thing is for sure: She could be singing about her toilet overflowing, it still sounds dramatic and important.
1 Fille and 4 Types seems to be a little unfocused and perhaps somewhat confused. This album lacks a hit single, even for the French-speaking quarters of the world, and may mark a labor of love more than a commercially viable record.
