ArtPerformance Review: Jessica Fichot

Among many other KCRW "Eclectic" artists who performed on stage at the One Colorado Courtyard last Sunday, October 14, I managed to catch French Singer Jessica Fichot and her band. Her smooth, creamy vocals conjures a sensuality that comes from an artist who breathes both innocence and French vixen in every note. At times, I closed my eyes and images of a French countryside and a finger running across a Mandolin string lingered in my mind, while listening under the canopied biergarten during the roughly too-short 45-minute set. In listening through the CD, Fichot's vocals conjure influences from French chanteuse Carla Bruni, but without the velvety rasp, and Kate Bush, when singing in Chinese. I found myself melting away and forgetting all the hustle and bustle of all the other Art Weekenders walking around the outer rim, perusing fine art for sale at booths satelliting the performance area.

Here's a video clip of Jessica's Fichot's Pasadena Art Weekend performance. Appologies for the fuzziness and ambient noise!



You can also sample music from her album at her MySpace page. By the way, I might have skipped Fichot's performance if not for the samples I heard on MySpace, which is a testament to the power of putting audio or video samples of your work on a Web page!

My favorite tracks at the moment are "Un Deux Trois 1 2 3" and "Si." Impressively, she sings in French, English, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish in her album.

I never purchase music from live performances at festivals, but I knew I had become a new fan by the end of the set. I made a bee-line to the merchandise table where I purchased her CD for $12 ($13++, Amazon.com). The statuesque chanteuse was gracious enough to sign my CD, between breaking down her stage and trying to get out of the way for the next band up. If you can manage it, check out Jessica Fichot next Saturday, October 20 (12 noon) at the Skirball Cultural Center.

Thanks to Laurie Bernt for the referral!