Chris

fuck yea gay shit on this list. mint.

Like many other albums that are on this list I’m struggling to see why? But that’s the beauty of a list like this, variety and diversity. I didn’t dislike it, I just felt that I had heard the tunes before but with a different artist singing

Do you hate pop music? Do you hate french pop music? Do you hate french pop music that contains features ok k-pop, such as singing chorus in a foreign language? Then this is the perfect album to hate!

i feel kind of conflicted here I liked the french version more than the english because I could enjoy the vocals and production, for that the french version gets a 6/10 but that was a really cringey message in english it felt like some kind of left wing circlejerk, like I’m just picturing excited soyjack looking at this album saying “holy shit! a queer, androgynous woman singing about how stupid god is! slay the patriarchy my queen!” it was just so lame and cringey hearing these lyrics, I’ll give the overall album a 4/10

I struggled with eighties pop throughout, and this [albeit more sophisticated] reincarnation of the genre is no exception. Only that it lacks the romantic perspective we can now afford eighties pop. Also, this album is way too long.

Not bussin

Why would someone recreate soulless 80s synth-pop in 2018? And why is this on a list of must-hear albums?

Fuck it that was really fun

Now this is how you make a pop album up my alley. Full of bops and bangers, solid variety of sound and approach without sacrificing a clear identity, and just a damn good time.

i like - girlfriend, doesn't matter sounds like if chatgpt made music

This album is deeply boring. Bland vocals. Uninspired arrangements. Flat, tinny beats. Respect to Letissier/Chris for living her truth, but this album is like a clone of the most boring, formulaic aspects of pop music in the 80s. Fave Songs: Don't have one. Doesn't Matter and Girlfriend are probably the least annoying to me.

I understand why someone enjoys this, but it's definitely not me. This is played daily at Marshall's though.

Of course an incredible record. Christine and the Queens nails a balance between pop formula and experimentation within a synth framework that really blasts past her competitors in the pop scene. When listening to her, you feel very trendy but not douchey.

The definition of background music

Competently executed but sorta soulless and glossy and generic late 2010s global pop … music for an airport lounge when wait is hopefully not too long.

This album has a cultural importance that shouldn't be ignored, but musically, this brand of pop does less than nothing for me. Best track: Girlfriend

Only listened to the French half, because I'm not listening to the same album twice in a row and because I felt silly today. Bullshit music. Generic radio pop. Zero unique or interesting ideas. A complete waste of time that felt like the audio equivalent of drowning in mud.

I heard nothing in this album that made me think that it belongs on this list. 2/5

This was released in 2018?! It sounds straight out of '88. Why are we going backwards with this Michael/Janet Jackson wannabe nonsense? Music has progressed past these garbage synths and trash drum machine sounds. I'm sorry. I have no patience for this pseudo-retro bullshit.

no

I love him

Pre-listening thoughts: don’t wanna get my hopes too high but POP! 2018! Eek! Modern music and it’s POP!!! There is not enough pop on this list I am so happy I finally got a queer pop album YIPEE!!! Also let me just say the user reviews are generally negative which to me is a good sign 😭 they hate pop but…! Post/during listening thoughts: oh this is for ME. I am such a pop girly it’s not even funny. The melodies, production, and vocals are just all so punchy and exciting. It’s reallyyyy nice to have something modern on here. This is also something I don’t think I would’ve listened to on my own like I had no clue who Christine and the Queens was before this moment. Sort of like French Marina and the Diamonds or Tegan and Sara or HAIM… the list goes on, and that is why this is right up my alley. I can feel my soul healing over from the 70s rock excess 10/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: me personally yes. Like I’ve become a fan. I think more people should open themselves up to pop music as well and this is a great album to do so with Fav tracks: literally all of them. Not one skip on this album. The Walker is my personal favorite though Least fav tracks: none

finally music for gay people

English and French language versions of, quite frankly, my favorite album of the year that it was released. Chris found Christine and the Queens (and its focal point, Héloïse Letissier) at peak form, bending pop music to its absolute will with sheer technical ability and unmistakable brilliance in cultivating emotions from within. I love this album, I have great memories attached to this. It's nice to once again come across such wonderful sounds that stick to you and endears you to the point to going back to it again and again. Long may Chris reign!

With the sound of a decaffeinated version of Michael Jackson, Chris is the kind of record you would expect to hear at a clothing store. There's nothing wrong with that in principle, sure, but there's a certain lack of edge and risk to the whole thing that makes it fall into that "music that is for everyone, yet for no one" category.

While the French version is better, this album has no real redeeming qualities. It's not bad per se but it's the very definition of generic and even artificial (as in lacking soul). An 80s wanna-be vibe albeit with a better production sound. Been there done that.

I had never even heard of this band before. And I start listening to it and I'm like what the hell is this French lesbian R&B?! And then after while I'm like this is some damn good French lesbian r&b! A keeper and a sharer

This is a really nice album. I love the music, love Chris’ voice, love the French and English. Love it all! Wonderful discovery.

Absolutely no frame of reference on this one, so it got the preliminary eyeroll based on the cover alone. Almost immediately reminiscent of 80s pop, with fairly generic progressions and heavy synth. Unfolds with shades of Prince and the Eurythmics at times, heavily seasoned with seemingly K-Pop sensibilities, and the vocals are sufficient and smooth without resorting to audacious autotune or gymnastics. The sum of the parts is catchy if not memorable, and I didn't hate it like I expected to. I let the double album play on after the English version, and actually found that I like the French version more. Nothing here to set the world on fire, but it's a middle 3/5 that I don't mind to round up.

I had high hopes after hearing "Girlfriend." The level of production is squeaky clean the entire way through and sounds like a French Lorde/Tegan and Sara/SOPHIE. I liked that this album featured both English and French versions, which is something I would like to see more often from multi-lingual artists. Impressive, but it doesn't keep it's momentum the whole way through enough to hold my attention the whole time.

bilingual haim

This hits right in the Tegan and Sara spot for me. I'd be shocked if Tegan and Sara weren't aware of and fans of Chris. I think I prefer the french versions, but the English versions are great too. Makes me want to smoke a cigarette.

I liked it, would've been 4 stars if it wasn't 1.5 hours long, wtf is wrong with you that you think I want to listen to your poppy music for that long??

Imagine Celine Dion and Boy George did the fusion dance from Dragonball Z, but messed it up so they got the low energy version. Then have that act sing over a leftover reheated Eurythmics sound. That is what Christina and the Queens sound like. It’s uninspired 80s pop rehash. No thanks. 2/5

Didn't do much for me. Sounds like a one hit wonder from the 80s, but it was only released a few years ago. The French version does sound a little better than the English version.

(1/5) I can literally see the age gap in front of me like a huge canyon. I'm so far on the other side of this music, I can barely see the other side.. This is music for an H&M, and I barely know what an H&M is and have never been in one.. I'm now (officially) an old man and this is not my music. I was never intended as an audience, I don't understand the aesthetic, and I guess I don't appreciate the work(?). To my ears, it's all cookie cutter pop -- just stock in trade music for a high end mall or in the background of a boba tea place. The artist's sexuality and fashion sense seems to be the big draw because while their singing is .. fine .. it's nothing special. The music is certainly and emphatically NOT special. The music is tired, recycled 80s electronica/pop which is THE ONLY MUSIC THAT EXISTS OR IS IMPORTANT, according to Dimery and this god-awful list of which I'm now inching up on 200 albums listened to.. I listened to this on the YouTube music app with the accompanying videos that were featured and the comments gushed on the fashion, for instance. A good album this does not make. It's music for a YouTube generation where the visual aesthetics and presentation (i.e. sexuality) supersedes the actual music. The packaging seems more important than the product. Any French language versions of these songs I encountered didn't improve them one bit. I'm old, tired, and entropy is creeping up on me. If this is important to younger listeners... Ok (deep, deep sigh)... Fine. I won't and don't like it and probably never will. Have we plumbed the depths of what this art form (pop) can offer or do the totalizing forces of capitalism and the corporate music industry just dictate that this is all that's ok to offer? If it's the later, the cynical use of the packaging of this music is just deeply depressing..

The Good: Is it an album named after the singer? The Bad: Who is the singer? The Ugly: Me still not understanding where we are heading… If someone would have asked me when this album was published, I would have told them late ‘80s to early ‘90s pop styled RnB. I would have put money down on it. And, to make matters worse, I would have said that, though it isn’t my cup of tea, it sounds okay. 3 Decades later, this album launches… and to make matters more interesting, it seems that the our entrepid author of the 1001 list deems it more than good enough to be added to his list… why? What makes this album so important that we need to hear it before we die? If an artist would come out with a new evergreen style album today, would we need to listen to it? Sure, if this album would have made some kind of massive change for a generation, it has the right to be on this list… but I had never heard of this damn album… So, sorry Chris, I guess I won’t be invited to your next birthday party… 1*

"Chris..." "Chris..." "Chris???". Huh, what was *that* on the second track of this album? And what was that whole album for anyway? Everything that a mainstream pop record can do *wrong*, this one does it. The instrumentation is bland or hackneyed. The arrangements or outside contributions are grating ("Chris..."). The melodies of the vocal lines are flat and unmemorable. The performance of those vocals is either forced in a quite obnoxious way, or just pointless and tasteless. And the accentuation and scansions for the English versions of those songs are often horrible (and I say this as a French person myself--it really feels like even *I* could better at times, ha ha!). In other words, Letissier is no Laetitia Sadier, he brings zero charm and zero effective intent to his own drawl. And the French versions of those songs are somewhat annoying as well, even if the vocal performance is less ridiculous in them. Worse, *Chris* doesn't even have the dynamics of its eighties models (some of whom are admittedly cheesy, but also have their own quaint/retro charm after all...). Evidence enough that it's a total artistic failure. It's not even "zany" and "over-the-top" in the way that modern "hyperpop" can be. You can bet your boots that most people who love this album have no idea that sort of record has been done "better" a hundred times before. Of course, all of this can't possibly justify the couple of homophobic/transphobic rants found in this reviews section (take your pick). I get and even respect the fact that Letissier addresses hot topics in his lyrics, whether those lyrics are linked to his personal identity quest or not. But it just seems to me those topical lyrics and the "melodies" they're sung with are not fodder for good pop songs anyway. So not even this can redeem this lame album in my eyes. To me the professional reviewers who loved it *all* looked like pretentious fools ("pretentious" because of the heavy-handedness of some of the lyrics--which they chose to ignore in spite of common sense), while also proving the whole world that they had awfully kitschy tastes in music. Which takes the cake, really, as it's the *worst* of both worlds. To put it in a nutshell, rarely an LP has been so overrated by music critics. 0/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential LPs". Which translates to a 3/10 or 4/10 grade for more general purposes. In the realm of mainstream pop, I gave a 1/5 mark to Taylor Swift's *Folklore* and a 2/5 mark to her other album *1989*. I would probably bump those grades one or two notches today, because I sort of mellowed whenever the subject of Swift has been dealt with in the last couple of month. But even with those slight latter-day changes in mind, I gotta maintain some sort of consistency for my own ranking of all these albums (which started more than two years ago). Hence why Christine And The Queens actually deserves *less* than 1/5. Number of albums left to review: 201 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 345 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 201 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 254 (including this one)

This is the most generic and boring synth-pop that shows nothing new or unique compared to any other albums from this genre. It is very similar to any stuff that came out 35 years ago or so, perhaps it's more overproduced but that is all. There are so many great albums that could be on this list which aren't, imo this album doesn't belong on the list.

Uninspiring wannabe R&B/Euro-pop nonsense. At least 35 years late to the party- this sounds like a Euro-pop singer from 1985. How could this possibly be in the 1001 Greatest Albums? It lacks originality and soul. It's all about the individual and nothing to do with the music.

I love French pop thank you christen and her queens. Finding it hard to fault this. It’s just great energy, sounds so fresh even 8 years later. I listened to this a lot when it came out and this has reminded me how good this was. Will be listening to this again and again.

9/10 Glad something like this gets on the list, a much needed bit of diversity confirmed by the state of the other reviews here. I remember this at the time, was a big fan of Girlfriend. Absolute gem of an album. Leaning heavily into 80s and 90s R&B and pop, wonderful production here. There’s just something about the delivery and lyrics, this is pop with soul. Best: Girlfriend

9/10 not quite goat but very very good. Listened to the English side.

French pop. I didn’t expect to like this but I really did! It was super catchy and the songs had a good way of keeping you guessing. One song might have a killer bass line and another with an interesting keyboard. Even though it was pop, it felt complex, but still easy to listen to.

"I am done with belonging." An artist I'd heard of often but had never listened to. After the first few songs, I was strapped in. It's a generous, vulnerable, and tough-as-nails serving of French pop; funk-flavored and well-written, confident, and full of momentum. Highlights: Comme si, The walker, 5 dollars, What's-her-face, Feel so good, Make some sense

Another blessing from the album gods to have this generated within my first 50 albums. This is one of my favorite artists of all time; I'm a massive fan. His music has helped me understand myself profoundly. And it's otherworldly, especially his latest release, Paranoia, Angels, True Love, which is an underrated masterpiece. I highly recommend the KEXP performance from 2019, particularly Doesn't Matter, the 4th track on this album. He accesses such raw emotion, it's awe-inspiring. "Run if you stole a shard of sunlight" I was happy to give my vinyl another spin for this one, and Chris is also in my top Spotify artists every year. My favorites are Doesn't matter, The walker, Goya soda, The Stranger, and What's-her-face, but absolutely 0 skips.

Llegué a esta artista hace unos años atrás, en pandemia. Ahí empecé a redescubrir el pop hecho por mujeres y disidencias sexuales y, dentro de todo lo que escuché por recomendación de una influencer argenta, fue el pop queer. Esto fue algo de lo que más me gustó. Me sorprendió cómo Chris tiene una búsqueda que excede lo musical. Jugada en su estética, en el cambio de su identidad sexual, sus letras, sus videoclips, me dio a entender que muchas veces éste género es más vanguardista que el rock.

I've been meaning to listen to this record in full since 2019 when I discovered them, because of their feature on Charli XCX's 2019 song "Gone". I heard a few songs from the project before this full listen, so I knew I was going to like it. In full, it definitely matched my expectations. I think this is a perfect pop record.

This one didn't do much for me. But I've never been into pop music. I went for the French version. I like to hear music in different languages than my own.

All killer no filler!

Amazing find. Great French pop.

Brilliant stuff, engaging and poppy. 5 stars

Would listen again

I honestly cannot day why, precisely, this album landed so well with me. Maybe it was my mood. Bit the poppy, sultry, dark, multilingual qualities all sorta worked t9gether to make me really dig this. Another day, another time, it may have fared worse.

Goya Soda was a favorite

I really found this pleasant to listen to, but I really could not follow the meaning of the lyrics even when reading along. Definitely something lost in translation for me.

Very fun in English and in French.

I discovered Christine and the Queens a few years back on spotify and fell in love. She has become an absolute favourite of mine and it was a delight to have to listen to this album again. I'm really looking forward to see where her career takes her.

Great french pop! Worth putting in my heavy rotation!

so amazing

ici ça kiffe

170. Chris - Christine and the Queens (2018) 8.11.26 Variety: 3 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 2 Emotionality: 3 = 3.6 rounded up to a 4 "Blood on my cheeks, birds come by/ One of my stomps and they fly/ People politely smile to make sure I won't come any closer" Going in 100% bind on this one as I'm fairly sure I've never heard of the artist before. Given how internationally huge and acclaimed they appear to be based on a glance, makes me question how culturally insulated we are in the U.S. when it comes to outside influences. And in turn my own prejudices towards new music in general. I would not say I'm any sort of aficionado when it comes to pop music of the world, and fact I would say I am quite resistant to it for a number of reasons, chief among them being language barriers. I do enjoy a lot of what has been termed "world music" but so much of that is instrumental focused that language barley matters. No matter the outcome, this will be a nice excuse to briefly sample some of that international pop music, and also something relatively recent. The host of 70-something ( or dead) white rockers that make up the majority of the list will be there when I get back. THE TRACKS "Comme si" - This is not what I was expecting. I did expect the English lyrics as I saw there was a targeted release, and decided to go that route to make things a bit less difficult to parse, and was pleasantly surprised to find a very polished and catchy bit of electro funk pop ( heavy on the pop) that opens with some nods to Prince, and reminds me a lot of some Robyn stuff I've heard. "Girlfriend" - The retro 80s vibes continue in this slower, but still very bouncy and catchy number. Their vocals on here are just as sooth and confident, with an almost Michael Jacksonesque delivery, and there is a lot of cool stuff going on instrumentally. The funky guitar licks mixed with the big synths put me in mind of "Music Sounds Better with You" that one half of Daft Punk did with a couple of other guys under the Stardust moniker. "The Walker" - Hard to stop from making all these comparison, but this track reminds me a bit of La Roux. A very pretty song about some violent and self destructive urges, the 80s influence is definitely still there no doubt, but this is more than pastiche and feels more like a nod instrumentally than an overall attempt at recreating that sound. "Doesn't Matter"- We start with a beat right out of Toni Basil's "Mickey" but the song itself is anything but the lively, exuberant track that is. There's a lot less melodicism in this one that the first three, but where it lacks in catchiness, it makes up in an interesting repetitiveness in which layers and layers are added until the end, resulting in a bright neon bit of dance pop. To keep the comparisons coming, this one had shades of Ladyhawke with the layered elements and the build 'em up and knock 'em down song structure. "5 Dollars" - The first one that didn't entirely hit for me. The vocal melody gets lost I think in the pronunciation, and the beat beings the mid 90s super clean, characterless electronic music more so than any of the 80s vibes I've been digging before. And the chorus has the stink of post-"All That You Can't Leave Behind" era U2 BIG swinging too hard for the fences clumsiness about it. "Goya Soda" - The fat, liquidy electronic bass and some reverb heavy vocals on this do work for me though. There's very sharp early 90s Rhythm Nation-era Janet Jackson production that's been smeared all over this, mixed with some Dead Can Dance or Enya-esque layered vocals. Two great tastes that taste great together. "Damn (What Must a Woman Do)" - More Prince vibes on this one, and a more straightforward and aggressive beat, with some heavy R&B elements mixed with a shot of 90s club sounds thrown in for good measure. Very danceable, and some of the most passionate vocals yet. "What's-Her-Face" - An awesome driving synth bass beat, some sad catchy vocals, and some keyboard embellishments make this one a very low key banger of a track. They seem to be taking queues from Robyn here, but without sounding like a clone. Perfect for dancing by on your own. "Feel So Good" - A STRONG dive back into the 80s sound, with some more fat bass synth and break beats that sounds much closer to a love letter to that specific Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation sound than anything else on here. We even get a glass break effect! This was cool as shit. Put your wrap around shades, don some parachute pants and get the fuck down. "Make Some Sense" - Low and deliberate with some reverbed finger snap beats, we get an interesting take on a slow jam on this one. There's some real vocal range on here as well with the layered choral backing vocals paired against their sincere, and not too sentimental lead vocals. "The Stranger" - Of all things I didn't expect to hear anything that put me in mind of Shakira on here. The breathy, athletic delivery probably had something to do with it, but the instrumentation was much more world music rhythmic cadence doesn't not help. This went down a lot smoother than I thought it would given how big it is. HIGHLIGHTS - "Comme si" - "Girlfriend" - "The Walker" - "Doesn't Matter" - "Goya Soda" - "Damn (What Must a Woman Do)" - "Feel So Good" - "Make Some Sense" - "The Stranger" MIDLIGHTS - "5 Dollars" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS Going in blind I was not sure what to expect, but ended up really liking the left of center electronic, but still very radio friendly sound. Barely a track went by that I wasn't reminded of other artists that I really liked who have all tread similar 80s-tinged synth poppy ground. It was pretty uniformly catchy and full of great hooks. The vocals, while difficult to understand at times ( even in English) were full of emotion without being too over performative and self impressed. This artist seems like someone wholly concerned with crafting unique songs with each go, and not with showing their ability to perform annoying and pointless vocal gymnastics. Also impressive was the lack of 10-20 other writers and producers on any given track. This certainly felt as if it was all from the same voice. That seems rare in this day and age, especially for this type of music. As far as I can tell by the credits, they write their own material and did most of the arrangements, drum programming, keyboards and other synths. I was impressed enough to give the whole thing a second listen, this time in French, and have to say even though it didn't strike me as that much different, there were enough little changes and smoother vocal deliveries in some parts ( especially on "5 Dollars" - which worked much better for me) that made me reconsider some of my thoughts. But the review of the English version still stands. And I was definitely impressed enough to seek out more stuff by this artist. A fun listen, and a pleasant surprise. I could easily see this rising in esteem with more listens. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Nah FURTHER LISTENING - La Roux by La Roux - Ladyhawke by Ladyhawke - Body Talk Pt. 1 by Robyn - "Music Sounds Better With You" by Stardust - Santogold by Santogold

There were some certified bops on this. Honestly so pleasantly surprised! Had a great time with this one and you will too! If you're a little gay

Verdorie een dubbelalbum... Christine and the Queens is wel een band die ik ken, nooit een album van heb gehoord maar ik weet dat ze wel een beetje een indie darling zijn. Ben hier wel erg benieuwd naar! Wat me al snel opvalt is dat het aan de ene kant hele dramatische, grote nummers zijn maar dat de productie erg sterk is met veel elektronische en soms zelfs beetje clubby invloeden. Het werkt ook wel voor me dat er veel geswitched word tussen verschillende talen. Ik meen Frans te herkennen, maar moet eerlijk toegeven dat mijn 6 jaar Frans toch grotendeels voor de bühne waren... Oh ben wel heeeeel blij dat het geen dubbelalbum blijkt te zijn! Dit was een lekker album, maar om nu nog eens 3 kwartier te luisteren daar had ik toch weinig zin in. Disc 2 is het album nog eens, maar dan volledig in het Frans. Moet zeggen; ik vond dit best wel een prettig album, poppy op de juiste manier maar wel ook veel elektronische invloeden en vooral ook hele sterke vocal van Christine. Ok, holy shit. Niet verwacht, maar ik wilde een paar nummers van de Franse versie luisteren en dat is echt 10000% de betere versie. De Franse vocals werken gewoon een stuk beter met de dromerige productie. Dusja, als je dit album luistert: Disc 2. Ne regrette rien. Ofzoiets. FAVO: Comme si, Doesn't matter, Goya Soda, La marcheuse, Doesn't matter(Voleur de soleil)

Really liked this, some great pop tunes on here. I’m a fan of their work but hadn’t heard this in full before so it was nice to have the opportunity. Could be a little tighter to get full marks

Doppelalbum: die gleichen Songs einmal auf englisch, einmal auf französisch ...

Hardly a must-hear album, but a pretty smart pop record. I often complain about the lack of diversity on this list, so an album grasping with the complexities of identity (ethnicity, language, gender identity, resulting in a fluid identity down to the artist's very name) makes a welcome change of perspective from the overwhelming sausage-fest of 1001 albums. Unlike the reviewer who automatically rates anything by a man as 5 and with a woman in front as 1, I am interested in what different and diverse points of view can offer. I want art to surprise and challenge me, not just echo back my own experiences. And this album certainly presented me with fresh perspectives and insights. As a listening experience, I like the crisp and spacious electronic sound, and their voice is terrific. Some great tunes with good hooks. I listened to both the English and French versions; both were enjoyable listening. 3.5 stars, rounding up.

Good

I wish I spoke better French. (Any French.) But god do I love their sound. I don't know why I never searched beyond "Tilted", the one song I knew, but I should have.

My guess as to why this has such a low rating is that there is a female singer and it’s Queer as hell. This gave off the same vibe as Le Tigre, the Knife and Peaches.

Chris I’m aware of a few of Christine & The Queens songs, as he is a bit of a 6 Music darling and I love Girlfriend, but I’ve never ventured into one of his albums. I really liked the French language version, I think the vocals sound better in his native tongue, but the mixed English/French version is, obviously, easier to understand and much more accessible. Comme Si is kind of what I’d expected from being familiar with Girlfriend, a very 80s MJ influenced synth pop song, with the keyboard bass, disco-ish guitar and electronic drum kit sound. Great opener. Girlfriend is still excellent, a brilliant bit of 80s revisionism, very catchy with a great hook and sound. I really like the verse melody on The Walker and its simple arrangement is very nice. Doesn’t Matter, while fine, doesn’t quite elevate itself from its 80s derivative-nes in the way the other songs do 5 Dollars is great though, the melody and the piano work really well together. Goya Soda is excellent as well, I love the ‘big’ synth riff and it has a great atmosphere and melody. Very nice track. Damn (What Must a Woman Do) is another good track, the synth riff is hypnotic, although it's probably missing a catchier chorus. What’s Her Face feels like rather generic 2010s synth pop, too close to the likes of Lorde, pulling the album out of its largely successful 80s groove. Feel So Good is a return to form, a nice modernised 80s pop song. Make Some Sense is excellent though, I can’t place what the synth line reminds me of, but it’s a big 80s song. Anyway it’s a great atmosphere with a nice floating and delicate vocal. The Stranger really grew on me, the halting synth pattern and very 80s percussion is great and another really good vocal It’s kind of what I expected that Lorde album to be, but better and much more listenable - this is superior modern 80s influenced synth pop, with some great hooks and more substance than the obvious inspirations might indicate. Her take and observations on how he is perceived and how she sees her own gender is really interesting and makes for some great music. It’s right on the boundary of 3 and 4, but looking back at what I’ve written above there are more songs I liked than not, so I’ll go 4. 🤴🤴🤴🤴 Playlist submission: Girlfriend

My kind of vibe! Some pop comes across as shallow. And I'm ok with that. But Christine and the Queens has depth in his pop sound. Maybe I'm a sucker for the euro vibe and the gender fluidity but I love the electronic sounds and the heavy accent.

Shout out to my wife for playing this album incessantly

Day 28 of listening to 1001 albums, one day at a time. It’s pretty interesting how this album jumps from this seductive tone to a pretty strong and powerful tone. This album really stands out with the lyrics. Truly I don’t think there is a single song that is lacking lyrically. The walker talking about domestic violence and 5 dollars talking about buying love. It’s a pretty good and a great listen with sharp lyrics.

Excellent electro-funk pop record. I wore this one out pretty quickly when it came out and then I kind of forgot about it mainly because it was released around the same time as Robyn’s classic, Honey and for me this album got overshadowed by it. I’m glad this project got me to revisit it though. With the exception of DāM FunK’s additional production on “Girlfriend” this album was self produced remarkably by Chris. There’s plenty of nostalgia sprinkled in the music but it doesn’t feel like a cheap gimmick and it’s balanced with modern pop elements giving it a timeless sound. Chris’ emotive, theatrical and heartfelt vocal delivery demonstrates precision and control while his lyrics show a poetic defiance against the typical pop parameters. On this listen I picked up on some phrasing similarities with Caroline Polachek and Michael Jackson, something I didn’t notice before. Every nuance in his performance seems meticulously calculated and deliberate, yielding huge pay offs for the listener. Definitely a must listen for anyone who loves pop music like I do. I’m leaning 3.75 on this one.

I like the music and the vocals a really good album.

Kuuntelin patonkiversion. Positiivinen yllätys, tyyliltään aika kaukana omilla soittolistoillani pyörivästä musasta.

I like this album but why is this on this list?

good queer euro pop! I think it was ahead of its time, just now it seems other artists are coming out with stuff like this

A true leap in talent, production and lyrical prowess. Thoroughly enjoy her pop stardom in both the English and French versions.

Nice album

I've never heard of this band, but I really liked the vibe of the album. It had an 80's electronic feel to it, good stuff.

That was a vibe. I like her voice and the synths

NOTE: This is one basically one album, but recorded in both English and French with some track difference. It is streamed as a single work, so unclear on which I Must Hear Before I Die. I'm reviewing them together. A suave and powerful pop record that sounds decent in English, but phenomenal in French. Christine and the Queens belts incredible vocal lines and murmurs softer melodies over a dynamic mix of retro electronic and disco sounds mixed into modern piano and beat production. Songs are fresh and captivating, and the album has a cohesive, punchy flavor that travels well on upbeat and downbeat tracks. I initially approached this work with trepidation, given the hour and a half runtime, but began to comprehend once I was halfway through the French recording. I understand why these two are lumped together on streaming services, given the difference in language and track listing, but the albums are close enough that it's difficult to conceive them as a continuous work. I did enjoy the English recording, but the album(s) really came alive in the French language. Christine and the Queens has a wonderful flow and phrasing style in her native language, and though I don't speak French, I much preferred that version. Still, there's a track on the English version that I liked that isn't on the French version, so I've included it on my stand outs too. Overall, a great listen, just wish I had been more prepared of the meta of the record, a fault not of the artist. Stand out tracks include "Damn, dis-moi", "La marcheuse", "5 dols", "Follarse", "Feel so good", and "Les yeux mouillés".

"Chris" by Christine and the Queens earns a solid 4/5 rating for its bold experimentation and infectious energy. The album showcases Christine's artistic growth, blending pop, electronic, and R&B elements into a cohesive and captivating sound. Tracks like "Girlfriend" and "Doesn't Matter" are standout examples of Christine's ability to craft catchy hooks and poignant lyrics. The production is slick and modern, adding layers of depth to each song. While some tracks may not hit as hard as others, "Chris" remains a strong and enjoyable listen from start to finish. Christine's unique voice and innovative approach to pop music make "Chris" a standout album in her discography.

How did I not know this existed? It loses steam toward the back half of each disc, but still, I really love it.

Again, off-beat synth pop is basically my jam. I dig this

Above average pop album; a bit reminiscent of the 80s. Nice. 3.5/5

incredibly fun and poppy, easy to listen to, and creatively composed electronic pop that adds fun twists to prevent it from seeming stale and boring.

Such strong Michael Jackson vibes listening to this album. The production values are pristine Christine. I appreciated the English/French versions of all the songs. Just a stunning album, really.

Tres bien. C'est un album quatre etoiles.

Pop, dance, a veces chill out. Me ha gustado. Las canciones en francés le dan un plus. Un 4.

I had never heard of Christine and was ready to dislike this album after reading the summary, but was very pleasantly surprised! I will definitely be playing more of this in the future.

Will always love this album!!!

Better than expected

By no means a bad album, however there's nothing all that special about it for me. Nothing that makes me realize why it is on this list.

I have always known this Christine as a feature artist. Their contributions in these moments have always been noteworthy in my book. There were some pretty good pop songs on Chris. The modern sound of glitchy electronics and bombastic drums are on full display. While it’s not bad, I can’t help but feel like other artists have done this in a more significant way.

There were some good grooves and some good vibes but overall this was a "meh" for me.

Take some Ace of Base and mix it with Paula Abdul, sprinkle some Michael Jackson on top and then make it French: et voilà! Double albums have a one star penalty. (Je suis désolée, Christine & Queens)

Well produced and sophisticated pop. Not normally something that would interest me, but I really enjoyed a few tracks here, especially “What’s-her-face”/“Machin-chose”. Really excellent song.