Edith Piaf stands alone in evoking the deepest passions and effervescence of French music. A wisp-like waif of a woman, she was nicknamed La Môme Piaf, in street slang meaning “the sparrow.” When she delivered her soul with vibrant musical fervor, however, she was a giant.

Gay Marshall recently released a CD dedicated to Edith Piaf’s music, Gay Marshall Sings Piaf—La Vie L’Amour, a collection of songs that Piaf made her own. More than a mere dedication, it salutes Piaf’s soul and irrepressible spirit which have become identified with France. Marshall does not mimic Piaf but has absorbed her influence. She renders “the sparrow’s” signature songs through her own Marshall Plan. When Piaf sang them, she gripped a generation and captured the hearts of her listeners. Like Piaf, the petite Gay Marshall possesses an alto voice to be reckoned with and the dramatic instinct to put across the songs’ emotional intensity.

Marshall identifies herself as an actress that sings, and she proves that on this recording. Listen to “L’accordeoniste,” “Milord” or “Les momes de la cloche” and you hear the fervent moods that spell Piaf through the zest and sentiment of Marshall. The songs are international and to better communicate them, Marshall wrote incisive English interpretations of many of the lyrics and interwove them with the French, extending the songs’ essence to every listener. This works far better than an entire translation in expressing the intent while the French lyrics deliver the song's original character.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Marshall lived in Paris for 20 years and is fluent in French. She knows the songs in their original language and can deliver her heartfelt renditions in both French and English. She interprets the emotion that inspired the song.

She has a sharply edged voice with nuances that harken back to the thrill and wit of Piaf. She possesses a vibrato to boost the music’s heat and passion. Her interpretations valiantly display her own style, exploring the joys of romance, and the despair in Piaf’s tribute to her lost love in “L’hymne à l’amour.” She conveys the guts of determination in “Non, je ne regrette rien,” as it builds to its potent denouement with strong breath control and stress. No translation needed for this Piaf anthem. The translation of “Carnival” is a theatrical tour de force, waltzing through the crowded fair, building with a tinge of madness with exhilaration. “Carnival” is one of four English translation bonus tracks, all dramatic stories of the turmoils of women from the Parisian section of Pigalle to the disheartened bride, “All in White.”

In 2006, Gay Marshall brought the spirit of Piaf to the Off-Broadway revival of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris. In this CD, the dynamic American songbird grabs the opportunity to strut her own talent and intensity. She aims for the heart and reaches it with sincerity and spark, reflecting a joy of the music and never forgetting the inspiration of Edith Piaf.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
January/February 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org