Daniel Lavoie was in a grocery in St. Chrysostome one morning when he heard one of his old songs on the radio. Not happy with what he heard, he wanted to remake his favorite songs. Nine months later it `s done, the singer offers «J'écoute la radio» which includes his essential hits revisited.
This year Daniel Lavoie celebrates 40 years of his career. This has also weighed in the balance when the idea to remake his songs was germinating in him. For posterity the singer wanted to leave behind an album he would be proud of.

For his 23d album Daniel Lavoie, talented author-composer with a strong and beautiful voice, retells 40 years of his career, representing 13 of his most ambitious songs, re-read and upgraded, from «Ils s` aiment» to «Je voudrais voir NY», including «Tension Attention» and «Où la route mène». Moreover, he makes us a magnificent gift - a brand new song «J écoute la radio». «J`écoute la radio» is the album with strong texts, rediscovered with new arrangements, amazingly performed by Marc Pérusse.
This time he was surrounded by a large gang of valuable collaborators.

«We finally found something coherent, says the singer, something that looks like me and sounds good.
 It's like to update the kitchen. You change your refrigerator, stove. You redo the cabinets, you change the tarpaulin. It's the same kitchen, but you're happy when you come in».
Daniel Lavoie was really pleased by rediscovering his own songs.

«Some of them I was no longer able to hear over the years, - he says, - I was surprised to experience the real shivers because of these songs. It feels good.»

«On this album there is not too much synthesizer, but there are very good musicians, chosen with love, including Richard Beaudet, who was on my 1st CD 40 years ago, Mario Légaré, Marc Vallée and Muhammad Abdul Al-Khabbyr.»

With the amazing booklet to his new album Daniel gives us his feelings by these texts and the ocean of thanks. All the others, arrangers, mixers are listed in the acknowledgments of his booklet.

Daniel Lavoie: The more I worked on this album, the more the desire to thank the whole world for its participation was arising! Two teenagers, who were walking in the ruins of Beirut, gave birth to «Ils s`aiment»; my grandparents, who moved to Manitoba, for «Jours de plaine». audience, which ignored me at the very beginning of my career and finally presented with «La danse du smatte»; wild capitalism, doubled our appetites and the desire to consume more and more, for the apology «Oui sait?»; Quebec, which has captivated and held me, when I arrived there in 1971, for «J`ai quitté mon île»; New York and September the 11th, which gave a new sense to « Je voudrais voir NY»; the whole world, spinning around on a small ball, lost in the infinity, which succeeds, in spite of all, take itself seriously, for «Boule qui roule.»

«I could go on for a long time, but the message is about we are all pieces of the great quilt and we can do nothing without others. So thank you for reading this.»

«I`m blessed by God. I get to do the job I love and try to do it without a purely commercial interest. I have a great desire to please the world. The music makes me feel good and I hope my music in turn can also do good to others.»

 BEAUTIFUL COLLABORATIONS

For his album «J`écoute la radio» Daniel Lavoie surrounded himself by artists who he admires and particularly likes. Each appeared for a moment which added emotions to the songs. The singer explains his choices.

~ Jorane for «Jours de plaine»: «I admire Jorane. We share a kind of spiritual understanding.We are alike. I would like to have her folly.»

~ Maurane for «Qui sait». «Maurane was the first singer who made back vocals for me. She was 17 years old then. «Qui sait» is my favorite song and I wanted she to sing it because of our friendship. She answered immediately: «When you want, where you want.»

~ Jean-Louis Cormier (Kakwa) for «J`ai quitté mon île». His oldest song designed in Quebec in 1971... «I had several version of «J`ai quitté mon île», but not one that I`d like. I thought about Jean-Louis. He was in a room at the Hotel in Winnipeg, he sent me his version and it was what I need.»

~ Catherine Major for «Je pensais pas». «She is the niece of my great friend François Dompierre. Our affinities are almost like family. She is a great musician.»

~ Martin Leon for «Je voudrais voir NY». «I asked«Grand corps malade» to make me a «slam» for «Je voudrais voir NY», but his record company, with which he staggered, didn`t agree. I`ve tried to do it myself, but it was not good, then I`ve heard Martin Leon making «slam» for a song by Gilles Vigneaut.»
 ~ Renaud and Robert Charlebois for «Boule qui roule». «I wanted to ask Robert to participate with me in «La danse du smatte» but he preferred «Boule qui roule» which I had already offered to Renaud. Finally the both are on the disk.».
 ~ As for «J`écoute la radio», the unique original piece in the album, the lyrics belongs to Brice Homs and the song was not originally intended to Daniel, but he fell in love with it immediately, and it ultimately became «the soul of the album».

 01. Jours de plaine (avec Jorane) (D. Lavoie)
02. Tension attention (Deschesnes – D. Lavoie\D. Lavoie)
03. Qui sait (avec Maurane) (D. Lavoie\D. Lavoie - T. Sechan)
04. J'ai quitté mon île (avec Louis - Jean Cormier) (C. Boux D. Lavoie\D. Lavoie)
05. Où la route nous mène (D. Lavoie L. Dubuc\ S. Moraillon D. Lavoie)
06. Je pensais pas (avec Catherine Major) (D. Lavoie\L. Dubuc\D. Lavoie)
07. J'écoute la radio (B. Homs\D. Lavoie)
08. Ils s'aiment (D. Lavoie\D. Lavoie - D. Deshaime)
09. Je voudrais voir New York (avec Martin Léon) (D. Lavoie - S. Lelièvre- T. Sechan\D. Lavoie)
10. La vérité sur la vérité (D. Lavoie)
11. La danse du smatte (D. Lavoie)
12. Boule qui roule (avec Renaud et Robert Charlebois) (D. Lavoie)