"PIAF..Her story..Her songs" Bitton sings material that she does better than anyone else in our midst - the songs associated with Edith Piaf. Piaf and Billie Holiday shared a poignancy in their delivery that few others have mastered; Bitton, here, is one. Phil Elwood. San Francisco Examiner/Chronicle
On the subject of Piaf. You are no doubt over qualified from your clips and the sound of your CD (The Golden album). Your CD is terrific and I will be glad to say so." Liz Smith New York Newsday
"Passion is at the core of the "Piaf" Persona, in this case there is a surrogate, she is RAQUEL BITTON." Anna Kisselgoff. New York Times
"PIAF..Her story..Her songs" "The great French jazz singer Raquel Bitton has fashioned interpretations of Piaf's songbook that are the best thing since, well, Piaf herself sang them."
Janice Page Boston Globe
"PIAF..Her story..Her songs" Bitton's homage to Edith Piaf PIAF..Her story..Her songs". Raquel Bitton created a lovely homage to Edith Piaf . Piaf's songs were sung with high artistry and knowledgeable flair. "Bitton, for all her dignity and elegance is an excellent, refined singer .The jaunty ''Milord'' came across like a jubilant burst of street-wise confidence. ''Mon Dieu,'' the song Piaf sang for her boxing champ boyfriend the night he died in a plane crash, held high drama. ''Hymne a l'amour,'' Jean Cocteau's favorite Piaf song, showed how truly accomplished Bitton is." Daniel Gewertz Boston Herald Saturday
Raquel Bitton's remarkable French articulation of the lyrics to such classics as "La vie en rose" and "Non, je ne regrette rien" is Piaf-like, but Bitton's phrasing and her sound are her own. The result is a glorious contemporizing of one of the classic 20th century musical styles. DON HECKMAN Los Angeles Times
-The stance was familiar: legs rigidly astride, hands on hips and fingers splayed below the waist. Diminutive, with cropped hair and wearing a plain black dress, Raquel Bitton took center stage and re-created the imagery and the magic of the legendary French chanteuse Edith Piaf. Bitton, who discovered Piaf's repertoire in 1982, has subsequently shaped and molded the material into a thrilling program of song that goes beyond imitation. Bitton infuses her performances with her own musical richness and instinctive sense of drama and storytelling. VARIETY Raquel Bitton Sings: Edith Piaf - Her Story, Her Songs By ROBERT L. DANIELS
"A phenomenally good singer, BITTON can rasp with the best, and on the softer tunes be crisply, sensationally Rhapsodic". Peter Stack San Francisco Chronicle
"Piaf..Her story..Her songs" is an astonishing triumph. Bitton's voice is powerful and emotional. The presentation is exquisite. BITTON is superb in sight and song. I could listen to her combined English/French renditions for hours, not minutes. Her intensity and authenticity are utterly overwhelming. She loves to sing, she loves the songs she has selected and loves the crowd that shares her delight in the songs she does so brilliantly. One wishes along the way to come up for air, to shout and clap and whistle in tribute to the glorious music and to the captivating BITTON." Philip Elwood San Francisco Examiner
PIAF: HER STORY, HER SONGS Tears flowed down my eyes through at least half of Piaf: Her Story, Her Songs, a documentary about the famous French chanteuse. Not that it is a particularly sad film. It's just that Edith Piaf's life, expressed mostly in her songs, is full of the passion that stirs all kinds of emotions. French singer Raquel Bitton feels an equal passion for Piaf. Bitton's show of the same name as the film was critically acclaimed in New York. More than just singing Piaf's songs, though she emulates her style and voice, Bitton becomes a storyteller, weaving that inseparable tapestry of Piaf's songs with her life. Bitton casts a moving figure in her little black dress and short hair.
Bitton Leads Edith Piaf Revival Thank goodness Raquel Bitton has taken up the cause for reviving Edith Piaf's mystique and talent as a singer and a performer. Although Edith Piaf (1915-1963) is a popular name in the French music genre, her special performing talent is at risk for suffocation, especially for the generations who have grown up without knowing much about the amazing person Piaf was during her hey-day. Bitton's revival of Piaf's life and work is an accompaniment to the feature length movie of the same name now showing in artist circles and film festivals. It's Bitton's passion to keep the candle of the little sparrow's memory alive, a feat she easily takes on as her repertoire of Piaf's songs is lively, charming and portrays a deep understanding for the way Piaf would like to be remembered in her music. Raquel Bitton returns Piaf to life, as though the singer never left us prematurely in 1963. Although Piaf's hallmark La Vie en Rose is one of the selections on this CD, the sparkle in this rendition of Piaf's work comes through Bitton's selections of other highly entertaining songs, especially Mon Dieu, an invocation evocative of Piaf's painful biography.
I highly recommend Bitton's portrayal of Piaf's songs, especially for those who enjoy chantons en française. Piaf: Her Story, Her Songs is a fine tribute to an unforgettable singer. M.Barber.Miami Herald
On the subject of Piaf. You are no doubt over qualified from your clips and the sound of your CD (The Golden album). Your CD is terrific and I will be glad to say so." Liz Smith New York Newsday
"Passion is at the core of the "Piaf" Persona, in this case there is a surrogate, she is RAQUEL BITTON." Anna Kisselgoff. New York Times
"PIAF..Her story..Her songs" "The great French jazz singer Raquel Bitton has fashioned interpretations of Piaf's songbook that are the best thing since, well, Piaf herself sang them."
Janice Page Boston Globe
"PIAF..Her story..Her songs" Bitton's homage to Edith Piaf PIAF..Her story..Her songs". Raquel Bitton created a lovely homage to Edith Piaf . Piaf's songs were sung with high artistry and knowledgeable flair. "Bitton, for all her dignity and elegance is an excellent, refined singer .The jaunty ''Milord'' came across like a jubilant burst of street-wise confidence. ''Mon Dieu,'' the song Piaf sang for her boxing champ boyfriend the night he died in a plane crash, held high drama. ''Hymne a l'amour,'' Jean Cocteau's favorite Piaf song, showed how truly accomplished Bitton is." Daniel Gewertz Boston Herald Saturday
Raquel Bitton's remarkable French articulation of the lyrics to such classics as "La vie en rose" and "Non, je ne regrette rien" is Piaf-like, but Bitton's phrasing and her sound are her own. The result is a glorious contemporizing of one of the classic 20th century musical styles. DON HECKMAN Los Angeles Times
-The stance was familiar: legs rigidly astride, hands on hips and fingers splayed below the waist. Diminutive, with cropped hair and wearing a plain black dress, Raquel Bitton took center stage and re-created the imagery and the magic of the legendary French chanteuse Edith Piaf. Bitton, who discovered Piaf's repertoire in 1982, has subsequently shaped and molded the material into a thrilling program of song that goes beyond imitation. Bitton infuses her performances with her own musical richness and instinctive sense of drama and storytelling. VARIETY Raquel Bitton Sings: Edith Piaf - Her Story, Her Songs By ROBERT L. DANIELS
"A phenomenally good singer, BITTON can rasp with the best, and on the softer tunes be crisply, sensationally Rhapsodic". Peter Stack San Francisco Chronicle
"Piaf..Her story..Her songs" is an astonishing triumph. Bitton's voice is powerful and emotional. The presentation is exquisite. BITTON is superb in sight and song. I could listen to her combined English/French renditions for hours, not minutes. Her intensity and authenticity are utterly overwhelming. She loves to sing, she loves the songs she has selected and loves the crowd that shares her delight in the songs she does so brilliantly. One wishes along the way to come up for air, to shout and clap and whistle in tribute to the glorious music and to the captivating BITTON." Philip Elwood San Francisco Examiner
PIAF: HER STORY, HER SONGS Tears flowed down my eyes through at least half of Piaf: Her Story, Her Songs, a documentary about the famous French chanteuse. Not that it is a particularly sad film. It's just that Edith Piaf's life, expressed mostly in her songs, is full of the passion that stirs all kinds of emotions. French singer Raquel Bitton feels an equal passion for Piaf. Bitton's show of the same name as the film was critically acclaimed in New York. More than just singing Piaf's songs, though she emulates her style and voice, Bitton becomes a storyteller, weaving that inseparable tapestry of Piaf's songs with her life. Bitton casts a moving figure in her little black dress and short hair.
Bitton Leads Edith Piaf Revival Thank goodness Raquel Bitton has taken up the cause for reviving Edith Piaf's mystique and talent as a singer and a performer. Although Edith Piaf (1915-1963) is a popular name in the French music genre, her special performing talent is at risk for suffocation, especially for the generations who have grown up without knowing much about the amazing person Piaf was during her hey-day. Bitton's revival of Piaf's life and work is an accompaniment to the feature length movie of the same name now showing in artist circles and film festivals. It's Bitton's passion to keep the candle of the little sparrow's memory alive, a feat she easily takes on as her repertoire of Piaf's songs is lively, charming and portrays a deep understanding for the way Piaf would like to be remembered in her music. Raquel Bitton returns Piaf to life, as though the singer never left us prematurely in 1963. Although Piaf's hallmark La Vie en Rose is one of the selections on this CD, the sparkle in this rendition of Piaf's work comes through Bitton's selections of other highly entertaining songs, especially Mon Dieu, an invocation evocative of Piaf's painful biography.
I highly recommend Bitton's portrayal of Piaf's songs, especially for those who enjoy chantons en française. Piaf: Her Story, Her Songs is a fine tribute to an unforgettable singer. M.Barber.Miami Herald