V2 Rec. 
Ann Christy : Ik deed alsof het mij niet raakte (B,1977/2005)**°°°
Singer Ann Christy became known for her Eurovision song contest participation in 1971 with an expressive personal song "Dag vreemde man" (=”Hello, strange man”). I remember how this songtitle was used later for a book on people with autism. Her voice was emotionally very expressive, and she had sensitive personality and integrity. Many songs fitted with the arrangements of the time’s perspective and some were better than others, because mainly she was a singer/chansonier although various songs were so personal and therefore performed with soul they had its own form of eternity and art within them. Never-the-less she had to fight against confessions, didn’t go for an English career because her parents insisted in staying in Belgium. The result of her repertoire still tends to become a mixed bag because she had a wonderful voice but I think she still was most expressive when singing about her personal experiences. She wore and made more popular the clothes of Antwerp hippieclothes-designer An Salens, who once said she was a too good a personality for this world.
This compilation of unpublished songs on this album suffers from the same variety of directions I mentioned before but at the same time it also shows her most personal, and also poetic expressions. “Mijn lijf doet zeer” is about her unbearable suffering with cancer, an expression on its own which was painful to sing and to confront. Like various texts this was written in close cooperation with writer Pieter Verlinden. “Luisteren eens naar anderen” is another well arranged song with another great compassionate and disarming text. “Jij bent het leven” is equally expressive, and has a much more poetic approach compared to most usual Belgian song expressions in Dutch. “Liefde is dit het dan” is another very dark and emotional expression, arranged by band, acoustic guitar with some string arrangements. Many of the songs in this album were used for a musical based upon Midsummernightsdream from Shakespeare. “Ik doe alsof het mij niet raakt” is a soft rock, and another pretty personal expression. Most other songs don’t have the same level of inner content and strength. The Dutch version of a seemingly Abba song on “Waarom” is not as expressive and essential, although I can imagine the relation of her and her voice to inspiration from a group like Abba, in the same way I remember being told by other pop and rock singers. “Genoeg” sounds also more like a translation from an English poprock song into Dutch, showing less from her inner soul. The next few songs are in “levenslied” / lifesongs style are obviously made for the cabaret/musical and are with more mainstream arrangements, are still enjoyable and pretty personal. “What I did for love” is a soulful mainstream pop attempt for the English market, just like the bluesier souljazz-pop “Won’t you come home, Bill Baily” or the jazz-cabaret ”Send in the clowns” track which is less unusual. Even when her voice is really fine for this style, I’m not sure if in this point of her life when there isn’t much future left for her, she still has the biggest inner power and still-joy for life, when singing these. In that way the more personal come out best. Also the public teasing poprocker “Ga je mee”, for me, is not expressing the same true inner sense. As additional bonus track we have, for me, a bit too quick-in-rhythm-to-serve-its inner-grief text, acoustic jazzy version of the classic “dag vreemde man”. The track, “Lisa Lisa”, in a live version is fine too. Additionally there’s one French chanson song, “Sur Deux Notes”.
Ann died the age of 38, but I think never had the true attention she deserved. As a singer singing in Dutch she was amongst the most honest singers to date. If time perspectives were different she might have collected and compiled her songs differently. Even then it was unsure what directions it all would have gone. In this release of hers is a nice starter and surely contains some of her best and for me also some classic song expressions.
PS. It's relatively easy to find compilations of her songs. Most "hits" compilations are recommended, especially for those who understand Dutch. I would give most compilations I have heard 3 to 5 or 4 to 5 stars. Most of her songs are absolute classics of Flemish songwriting. She sang and wrote with her heart like almost noone else in Belgium (except for Jacques Brel).
