Zazie is an established singer/songwriter in France who also had success in Canada. "Totum" is her sixth studio album and follows 2004's very successful "Rodeo." Zazie has been one of the few mainstream artists in France who has addressed the importance of adopting proper gay rights, most noteably on the electro stomper "Adam & Yves" (clever word play) from her 2001 disc "La Zizanie" that is available on iTunes.

On "Totem," Zazie tackles a lot of personal topics including her thoughts about politics and the environment. My favorite song on the album is the epic and gorgeous pop-rock tune "Je Suis Un Homme," which translates to "I Am Human." (I'm glad my six years of studying French still comes in handy sometimes.)


The track is a very explicit statement about the state of world. Zazie sings about overpopulation, famine, the lack of proper drinking water and the ignorance of the "consumerist" Western world. Famed director Yvan Attal directed a fitting video to visualize that message. You can watch the video for "Je Suis Un Homme" here.

For some reason, I can totally hear Kelly Clarkson record a cover of this in English. It would fit her vocal range very well. Hopefully, Zazie's label Mercury France will make "Totem" available on iTunes in the States soon.