I have enjoyed learning and speaking French since I was in high school and, after several years of living in French-speaking areas and interacting with Francophone friends, I would say I am fairly fluent. This is not the only reason I really enjoy listening to French music, however. There is also something about French music itself that draws on the lyrical nuances of the language, the rich history of the story-telling troubadour, and the artsy, avant-garde nature of Parisian life. Meanwhile, much French-language music from Quebec shows a bit of the rough edges of an earthy colonial past to great effect. Even today's contemporary French music blended with modern rock, rap, and international influences still retains an essential quality of French tradition. Here's a list of the French language artists whose albums I own...
From France:
Patricia Kaas - Patricia Kaas is a French chanteuse who has been singing in bars and cabarets throughout France since she was nine years old. She has a very strong voice which comes through in her sensual ballads and blues/jazz influenced songs. Though I knew her from France, I only started to really pay attention to her music here in Québec after I heard the song "Quand j'ai peur de tout" from her newest album. Since then, I have gotten to like her whole body of work, and I recently saw her in concert here in Montreal. It was quite an amazing and entertaining show.
Paris Combo - This eclectic jazz combo group is great to listen to in terms of their music which has an upbeat and multi-influenced. Their albums play with flamenco, old-style French ballads, new and classic jazz, and several other flavors. The real payoff of this group, however, comes if you speak French and are thus able to enjoy their witty, sarcastic, and even off-the-wall lyrics. The Barenaked Ladies find a kindred French spirit in the humorous yet sophisticated writing of this group's songs.
Manau - This group offers a surprising mix of French rap and Celtic music. I was immediately captivated by the humorous initial track on their Fest Noz de Paname album, but its their style of upbeat rap (which, if you're not familiar with French rap, is a lot more musical and playful than most American-style rap) mixed with Breton traditional music that gives them such a unique sound. One of the few rap groups where you'll also find a bagpipe solo on the same album!
Zazie - Her songs were highly popular when I was a student in France, and her album of that time Zen is quite fun. Her cool and sexy voice blends well with the sleek pop grooves of her songs.
Carla Bruni - Singing in French with the occasional foray back into Italian, Carla Bruni simply plays guitar as she gives a soft but husky voice to her melody. Her songs, which she writers herself, largely have a lonely, dreamy quality with very cleverly written lyrics.
Edith Piaf - Perhaps one of the most famous French singers, Edith Piaf is world known as "The Sparrow" with her trembling voice that sang so many emotional songs throughout the decades. Her music automatically brings to mind the romance and mystique of Paris and is therefore probably featured on more movie soundtracks than any other French artist. Indeed, it almost seems that many people expect to hear her famous rendition of "La Vie En Rose" playing everywhere in the streets of the city.
From Quebec:
Celine Dion - She's probably one of Québec's most internationally recognized names, but I think most Americans have no idea of how much of Celine Dion's work has been in French. (As evidenced by the fact that the US release of D'eux was called "The French Album"---as if she only had one!) Actually, it was in French that I first really heard Celine Dion and realized what a great singer she was. One of my favorites is S'il suffisait d'aimer and it, as with her other work with Jean-Jacques Goldman, is excellent. Another recent collaborative album with four very talented French singers/writers is 1 Fille, 4 Types which uses a lot of back-to-basics acoustic guitar to create an overall feel of backwoods singing and the Canadian countryside---quite different from her lush and lite pop ballads of recent years in English.
Lili Fatale - This band has an engaging sound, an electric mix with acoustic underpinnings. Alternately brooding and energetic, they have songs with very sharp lyrics and a somewhat sarcastic life outlook. They display a punk band image but with better music, smarter writing, and (I am told by a friend that met them) much nicer personalities.
Eric Lapointe - If you're looking for a true bit of Québec culture, then Eric Lapointe is definitely a good place to start. He sang a the RockFest a little while back and the whole crowd of thirty-thousand was singing along with every song. His songs are generally rock sung with a very gritty voice ("Les Boys" which was the title track to a popular Québec movie about hockey is a good example), but he has some passionate ballads too. For somebody who has studied French in the US and traveled to Paris, it is also very interesting to listen to his music because his Québecois accent stands out very much.
Beau Dommage - This six member group sings songs with the traditional appeal of the countryside of eastern Canada. Their picturesque lyrics reflect life outside of the hustle and bustle of the big city, reminiscing about simpler joys and nostalgic for days gone by. By far the most noticeable and most enjoyable aspect of their music, however, are their tight and intricate harmonies.
Daniel Belanger - A very well known Quebec singer, Belanger's songs have playful, humorous lyrics that reflect a fun, clownish personality. He possesses a unique and versatile voice that has made him very recognizable.
Sylvain Cossette - Cossette's strong tenor voice gives his songs an impressive range and stylishness. While he does have more upbeat songs, his best work is represented in his slower songs and ballads. The songs on his album Blanc are largely written by Cossette himself, though one of his biggest hits is a remake of the famous French song "Que je t'aime".
Luc Dumont - Dumont is a Christian artist in Quebec who sings church songs in his native French tongue. His original compositions are largely simple choruses accompanied by guitar and his voice. His style ranges from more upbeat praise songs to quiet and reflective worship.
International:
Ishtar - The lead singer of the band Alabina (a wonderful group combining Spanish flamenco and Arabic music), Ishtar has finally released a solo album called The Voice of Alabina which showcases her vocal talents even more. Unlike her work in Alabina, this album is much more modern French pop but with a very heavy Arabic influence that results in quite a fun sound. I'm sure many of the more upbeat songs will be playing on the dance floors in Paris.
Khaled - Not only has French music had an impact within the borders of the country itself, but it has influenced musical styles in all the former French colonies abroad as well. One of the most interesting of these is the mix of traditional Arabic music and Western dance rythms out of northern Africa known as raï. Most notable of the artists associated with this movement is Khaled (aka "The King of Raï) from Algeria. Though most of the songs of raï are performed in Arabic, Khaled will occasionally include a song in French with some interesting sounding results.
Papa Wemba - Congolese music is one of Africa's most widely popularized and widely distributed styles across the continent and the world. At the forefront of that movement is Papa Wemba whose mix of traditional African styles and instruments with wider world influences has made him very popular. His rhythmic songs are often upbeat and sung in both French and Lingala, the lingua franca of most of the Congo.
Zap Mama - This Belgian-Congolese group of women use the instruments of their voices to create unique sounds and harmonies as they sing songs that mix French, Swahili, Lingala, and English. They experiment with rhythms and noises with some surprising results. They have ranged from purely traditional sounds to mixes of African and American hip-hop, and I think the album that presents the best balance is the popular A Ma Zone.