Thanks to digital and electronic media and technology, nowadays, aspiring and struggling artists can produce their own albums and CDs. And this is more than wonderful. Because, many highly talented artists who lacked funds or did not know how and where to reach executives in the recording and records industry have to a certain degree solved the dilemma and overcome the impossibility of having their own records/albums/work published and made accessible to millions worldwide. Thanks to this new medium of publishing and distributing albums and CDs, an overwhelming number of new artists were able to reach us, and vice versa. It was beneficial to both of us. Like the Independent Film Production new world, music has become independent and universal. Many of the CDs we reviewed throughout the years came from artists who recorded and produced their own music, songs and compositions. Another beneficial and fruitful aspect of the personal and independent- self produced artist/product- is the artistic freedom, artists began to enjoy. Freedom in choosing their own songs, lyrics, style and format. They are no longer at the mercy of records producers and records companies executives. And this is wonderful too, because it gave birth to a great number of magnificent recording artists who never had the opportunity to see their work published and their music heard.

Fortunately to all of us, great talents -old or new- emerge or resurface . And wonderful gone-by-era fabulous music came back to life. Music like the cabaret music. And this helped us to reach first class singers and become aware of their work. Many of those self produced works became THE ESSENTIALS. And this is what briefly, we will be talking about herewith. There are essentials in all genres and styles of music, exactly like it is the case in motion pictures and world literature. And the ESSENTIALS are those CDs or recordings which are looked upon as major, important and most significant for the genre per se. Cabaret is my forte. Cabaret music is my favorite topic. And I will writing about it, and about the best cabaret CDs of recent years; CDs of American Cabaret singers and songwriters. Unquestionably, the greatest non Parisian, non ethnically French Cabaret singer in the world and outside France is RAQUEL BITTON  who currently lives in California, USA. Bitton is Moroccan by birth. Jewish by faith. American by nationalization. And International French Cabaret and Chansons Francaises Singer Super Vedette by raison d'etre. She is the best. Absolutely the best. There is no way in the world, an American singer can sing so well and so authentically French Cabaret Songs as Bitton sings. Still, American singers can project the image and transmit the feelings and spirit of French  Cabaret and German Kabaret. However, the cache and aura they convey on stage and in their recordings remain Cabaret a la Americaine. Very few American chanteuses succeeded in singing like pure Parisian and Berliner authentic cabaret singers. Among those chanteuses are ANNA BERGMAN, DEBBIE de Coudreaux and SOFIA LAITI. Other American Cabaret Chanteuses with a jazzy, pop style who made their mark are, to name a few: Amanda McBroom, Cindy Benson, Rebecca Spencer, Anne Kerry Ford, Andrea Marcovicci.

Two of the most authentic French Cabaret chanteuses in North America are Lyne Tremblay and Nicole Martel, both of a Canadian origin. Tremblay lives and records in Canada. Martel in California, USA. The best French cabaret CDs ever recorded for the past two years by American chanteuses are:

1-"Dream a Little Dream", "Raquel Bitton Sings Edith Piaf", "In A Jazzy Mood" and "I Wish You Love" by grande dame of the La Chanson Francaise, Raquel Bitton.

2-"Souvenir" by the one and only Anna Bergman.

3-"You Don't Know Me" by Sofia Laiti.

4-"Break n Enter" by Lyne Tremblay.

5-"Have A Little Paris On Me" by Debbie de Coudreaux.

6- "You Don't Know Me" by Sofia Laiti.

7- "C'est Si Bon" by Nicole Martel.

8- "Echoes of My Heart" by Rhe De Ville.

Those are the major French American Cabaret CDs of the past two or three years. Of course, outstanding CDs were released by legendary recording artists like Ute Lemper, Amana McBroom and Barbara Cooke. However, they do not fit in the category subject of this article.

MORE NEXT