L' Aventurier

by John BushJacques Dutronc's second self-titled LP in two years kicks off with "Le Responsable," a swinging go-go stomp featuring Dutronc in a full-on wild-man role and his backing band doing their best Rolling Stones impression. It's one of the all-time great French pop songs, much more irresistibly campy than anything recorded by Serge Gainsbourg. It's all but impossible, however, to keep up that kind of energy level for long, and by the end of the LP ("L'Hotesse de L'Air") Dutronc is actually yodeling out many of his lyrics. Between those polar extremes lies some average material, none as catchy (or even as up-tempo) as "Le Responsable," making for a distinct sense of disappointment when listeners realize the opener is by far the best track on the album.