The Rodeo’s fascination for Karen Dalton’s America and the great outdoors shone through on Music Maelström. We marveled at her transformation into a multicolored pop butterfly on La Musica del diavolo, which invited Nick Cave and Arcade Fire to a Dolly Parton carnival. Three years later, we are treated to a much more radical metamorphosis: Thérianthropie Paradis. This third album, set for release on September 14, is sung entirely in French. Dorothée Hannequin’s sensual and evocative mother tongue guides her songwriting and voice onto new paths, full of hidden trails and nuances. A harmonic lushness that in no way detracts from the music’s clarity and fullness. Au contraire. Rarely, in the France of 2018, have we heard such ambition and mastery as we do on “Ivre d’amour,” her first single, which condenses all the colors of this album so as to project them more vibrantly onto the walls. What colors? Red, of course. Carmine, vermilion, crimson. Blood, wine, lips and summer fruit.

“Thérianthropie Paradis” (Claro Oscuro/Modulor) – Release date: Sept 14, 2018