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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
On her second album, Héloïse Letissier expresses a strength, intelligence and sensuality that transcends gender.
100
This is a deft and mind-bogglingly intelligent record – a subversive pop masterpiece – that somehow sounds effortless, too.
100
A swaggering masculine alter-ego delivers Letissier’s punchy statement of intent, wrapping themes from gender fluidity to female agency in heady electronic pop.
100
Chart-mingling, radio-ready pop has rarely felt this disruptive.
100
For a flag-waving LGBTQ artist riding the transgender express, the secret of Letissier's crossover charm is that she never lets polemic get in the way of a slick hook. It may be pop with a purpose, but first and foremost it is pop with a damn catchy chorus.
91
Chris more than anything revels in fluid identities—whether gender, personality, mood, or otherwise—and the way they free people from expectations and limits. By extension, this frees up Christine And The Queens from musical conventions, and propels the group to the precipice of greatness.
91
It’s groovy and funky and sultry, and it takes things seriously while still being joyful. It encourages freedom of form, in the sense of both body and art.
90
Chris is the sound of an already accomplished artist pushing things even further, exploring new territories rather than resting on their laurels.
90
A breathless, breathtaking achievement, ‘Chris’ is a fascinating, infectious, endlessly suggestive work, an ode to 80s pop bombast that uses those splinters to build and then de-construct countless glimpses of Héloïse Letissier.
90
As she examines what masculinity, femininity, strength, and vulnerability mean to her, Christine has never sounded more exposed -- or in control. A triumph, Chris reaffirms just how masterfully she engages minds, hearts, and bodies.
90
Chris should serve as a prototype for those looking to make both music and its message so personally meaningful that it invites others in to relish - and listen - in its depth and in its quality.
7mo
86
Timeliness of her lyrics aside, these are compelling, danceable pop songs with flickers of R&B and bass lines that any pop group would be jealous of.
85
While it occasionally relies on its pop roots more than update them, Letissier’s delivery sends it over the top.
80
A refreshing and urgent exploration of what it means to be a woman in a cultural moment when women’s experiences definitely need to be heard.
80
A sparkling pop album that flourishes in both English and French, Chris is a supremely confident introduction to the next phase of Christine and the Queens.
80
Far more than just a concept for a record, it’s a successful artistic experiment that demands attention. All eyes on Chris.
80
This is an album that navigates the ambiguous waters of sexuality and identity, relationships and selfhood, with a steady, sure hand.
80
Hélöise Letissier creates a polyglot pop that transcends gender, international borders and musical categories.
80
In her new guise as the lustful Chris, Héloïse Letissier harnesses 80s funk to grapple with gender and identity on her ambitious second album.
80
Unlike most ephemeral pop music today, Chris—like the gender-fluid character at its center—feels consequential and everlasting.
80
Taking everything up a notch from 2015’s hit debut ‘Chaleur Humaine’ (Human Warmth), this is most intensely personal and overtly sexual work yet.
80
Chris is not Letissier’s masterpiece – that is surely yet to come – but it is a glorious statement of intent and a beacon of rainbow neon illuminating the current cultural and social landscape.
80
One of the year’s most intelligent, enjoyable albums, and cements her position as one of our most intriguing, interesting pop stars.
80
This is the voice of a major emerging artist in mainstream music and one that has a fiercely strong sense of control over where she is heading.
79
The kinetic French singer Hélöise Letissier lets us into the whole of her life, creating an electric blend of unforgettable imagery, emotional depth, and lurid pop-funk.
70
Letessier's evidently heightened confidence goes a long, long way on Chris, and its emotions and attitude pop with astonishing strength, even if the sound could afford to do so a little more.
70
Her metaphors blur the line between dancing to records and the act of love-making as great disco songs wont to do. Letissier sounds the freest and more importantly herself as she sings and struts to her favorite beat.
70
Chris is moving: either its beat will grab you or its lyrics will -- or both. And when it does, you'll lose all your social safeguards, and dance.
Oh come on 90 !!!!!? It's a joke.
(I listened the french version. I don't know how the english version is)
The lyrical content don't deserve this big praise. It's really unilateral to the point that the multi big questions of sexuality, feminity, etc are often without nuances. It's a shame considering the past of Héloïse Letissier and her responses in interviews. Plus, she remains some non-sense sentences with "stylistic words" (Goya Soda, Soda l'imprécis for ... read more
(I listened the french version. I don't know how the english version is)
The lyrical content don't deserve this big praise. It's really unilateral to the point that the multi big questions of sexuality, feminity, etc are often without nuances. It's a shame considering the past of Héloïse Letissier and her responses in interviews. Plus, she remains some non-sense sentences with "stylistic words" (Goya Soda, Soda l'imprécis for ... read more
Edit: I think critics are looking at this album for the wrong reasons. I honestly really like this album for what it is I could give less of a rats fat ass about how queer it is or how it surpasses the boundaries of gender I really don't care and if that's why your giving it a high score than so be it but don't give it a pass on being bad music if that's what you think it is.
The same thing happened with Sivans album critics went crazy over who made it rather than the music itself. Again ... read more
The same thing happened with Sivans album critics went crazy over who made it rather than the music itself. Again ... read more
Pretty average stuff here. Pleasant enough but very few standouts. I also must add that for an album that is being touted for its lyrics, I had a very difficult time understanding much of what was being said. I might have even enjoyed the French version a little more. This feels like another album that (and this has become increasingly more common over the part couple of years) is getting higher praise simply because of it's subject matter and not it's quality.
This album is a critic's orgy-fest. I swear they're all wetting themselves over something this mediocre and formulaic. The only thing I found "unique" about this was that it's French.
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Year End Lists
| #1 | / | Clash |
| #1 | / | The Guardian |
| #1 | / | The Independent |
| #2 | / | Idolator |
| #3 | / | Drowned in Sound |
| #3 | / | The Observer: Kitty Empire |
| #4 | / | musicOMH |
| #4 | / | OOR |
| #4 | / | The Daily Beast |
| #5 | / | MOJO |
More Lists
Decade Lists
| #87 | / | Consequence of Sound (2010s) |
| / | AllMusic (2010s) |
MISC LISTS
| #15 | / | Consequence of Sound (2010s / Pop) |
| #24 | / | Paste (2010s / Pop) |
Track List
- Comme si
- Girlfriend (feat. Dâm-Funk)
- The walker
- Doesn’t matter
- 5 dollars
- Goya Soda
- Damn (what must a woman do)
- What’s-her-face
- Feel so good
- Make some sense
- The stranger
- Comme si on s’aimait
- Damn, dis-moi (feat. Dâm-Funk)
- La marcheuse
- Doesn't matter (voleur de soleil)
- 5 dols
- Goya ! Soda !
- Follarse
- Machin-chose
- Bruce est dans le brouillard
- Le G
- Les yeux mouillés
- L’étranger (voleur d'eau)
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Added on: July 5, 2018