“At last the secret is out…”

“as it always must come in the end,
the delicious story is ripe to tell
to tell to the intimate friend;
over the tea-cups and into the square the tongue has its desire;
still waters run deep,
my dear, there's never smoke without fire.”

I stumbled upon a new release by an artist named Carla Bruni and for the life of me could not recall where I knew her from. Carla Bruni. Carla Bruni. Where the hell have I heard that name? I’m always so good with names and faces…one look at the cover for her latest album No Promises and it hit me. The 90’s super model sensation, Carla Bruni! Are you kidding me?!?! Nope…not a joke. The Italian heiress turned super model turned love interest to some of the wealthiest, sexiest, most talented men in the world (Kevin Costner, Vincent Perez, Donald Trump (I said wealthy!), Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger) is now a songstress. Heiress, super model, former lover of Eric Clapton…I hate her. Let me rephrase that. I hated her, past tense. Once I took her record for a spin I couldn’t hate her. Nope…just couldn’t do it. I WANT to hate her, really…I do; but, I can’t. She’s lovely, dammit. From the outside in she’s just lovely.

After leaving the catwalk behind and deciding to follow her heart into the world of music, Carla released a French album, Quelqu'un M'a Dit (Someone Told Me) in 2002 to critical acclaim. Her follow up to that successful overseas release is No Promises. An album based purely on inspiration, Bruni has spent a great deal of time delving into some of the best pieces of many of the greatest poets of all time… Emily Dickinson, William Butler Yeats, Wystan Hugh Auden, Walter de la Mare, Christina Rossetti and Dorothy Parker and has breathed new life into them by offering her musical interpretation of their work. The lyrics are of course borrowed from the authors but the music is all her own. With a stunning voice and wonderful phrasing, she captures the essence of these poems in a way that I wouldn’t have thought possible. If like me you are a fan of poetry and/or literature, I’d urge you to pick this up when it drops nationwide January 25^th. Until then, it’s just cold enough outside to let Carla’s warm, soft, whispering voice on these tracks envelope you like a blanket...go ahead, curl up with them and see.

Those Dancing Days Are Gone
I Felt My Life With Both My Hands
Promises Like Pie Crust
If You Were Coming In The Fall
Ballade At Thirty Five