Raphaël - Live: Résistance à la Nuit (2006)

French singer/songwriter Raphael's trio of studio albums may be analogized to the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. The first, Hôtel de l'Univers, may have been, in retrospect, too hot in the sense that it presented the artist as a hard rocker; the second, La Réalité, was, perhaps, too cold in that it reversed gears and went for a slow, serious, intensity; but the third, Caravane, on which Raphael turned to more of a melodic pop/rock sound, apparently was just right. That, at least, is a conclusion that can be drawn from record sales, music awards, and this profit-taking live album. The song selection makes it clear that Raphael is unlikely to return to the rock sound of Hôtel de l'Univers. Nevertheless, it's easy to tell what matters to Raphael's listeners, who first really come alive 12 songs in with "La Ballad du Pauvre"; they sing, scream, and clap along to "Sur la Route" (one of seven songs from La Réalité); and greet the hit "Caravane" with a cheer of recognition. Like nearly every live album made, this one is essentially a victory lap for the performer. But Live: Resistance a La Nuit also establishes Raphael's current view of his career, suggesting that future studio albums are likely to be in the mold of Caravane.