Even though Robert Charlebois' discography is littered by hits collections and repackagings, it took a French label to put together the first comprehensive overview of his career on a single CD. FNAC Musique must have pulled it out because they managed to sign agreements with the singer's various record labels of the past (they fought over market predominance in North America). Anyway, this Le Meilleur de Robert Charlebois culls the man's best tracks from 1968 to 1988. A studied balance is kept between individual albums and eras, but also between hit singles and influential songs. Moreover, the track list respects a chronological order, except for the 1973 "Le Piano Noir," always a nice closer in any context. The essentials are all there: "Lindberg," "Conception," "Je Reviendrai à Montréal," and the big 1983 hit "J'T'aime Comme un Fou." All facets of Charlebois' career are represented: the psychedelic rocker, the political songwriter, and the mainstream pop star. This collection would be the perfect place to start in the singer's discography if it weren't for the fact that it is so hard to find outside of France (Europe if you are lucky). ~ François Couture, All Music Guide
