The irresistible Feist on The Black Sessions, Paris 2004

If I had to choose between living in Italy and living in France, I'd always said Italy for sure (you know, just in case someone ever asked me, I needed to be prepared). But then you look at something like The Black Sessions (broadcast on Radio France) and it is *almost* enough to change your mind.

A play on the name of the host, Bernard Lenoir (get it? Le noir?), The Black Sessions have brought hundreds of great musicians from all over into Studio 105 in Paris to lay down lovely sets in front of a live audience. It's kind of like their answer to KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, except sometimes longer (up to an hour), and minus Nic Harcourt's charmingly accented questions. The sessions are often released in limited-edition CDs (promos, included with magazine, etc) so these excellent quality sets have their way of seeping out to the fans worldwide.

[Previously on Fuel: Eels, Black Session 2000]

On March 3, 2004 the irresistably lovely Ms. Leslie Feist stopped by The Black Sessions and spent 45 minutes charming the crowd with her fantastic vocal styling and sexy, intelligent, refreshing songs. The Kinks cover is absolutely ace.

01. Gatekeeper
02. Leisure Suite
03. Mushaboom
04. One Evening
05. Lover's Spit (Broken Social Scene cover)
06. Let It Die
07. When I Was A Young Girl
08. Lonely Lonely
09. Fool Proof (Ron Sexsmith cover)
10. That Girl (Kinks cover)
11. Intuition
12. Now At Last

FEIST BLACK SESSIONS AS A ZIP

If you've never listened much to Feist before, this set is a superb live introduction. Most of these tracks are on her 2004 solo debut CD Let It Die, and this year she released the Open Season disc of remixes (both on Arts & Crafts). I read this charming quote from Feist about the remix album:

"At first I didn't really understand what remixes were. If I squinted into the air I knew I could hear old songs with added beats piping out of radios, but I didn't know why or how that happened . . . It was so bizarre and exciting to hear a song that we had so carefully dressed, be undressed and re-addressed, and put into clothes it would have never thought to wear on its own."

Check out songs from & commentary about her Open Season disc here.

And rumor has it that Feist's new album is due in January. Hurrah! Feist makes my short list of female musicians that I would like to somehow inhabit for a kickass week or two, just to see how it feels to be that rad.