It wasn't as if Lunca was imitating the way the Piaf sang; I doubt it was a conscious decision on her part to imitate anybody. It was more a reflection of how the two cultures had historically merged decades earlier. What's truly amazing about Lunca is her ability to seamlessly merge the chanteuse tradition of France with the gypsy music of her personal heritage. Of course considering that France has its own gypsy population it's always possible that the styles that influenced Piaf could have had their origins in gypsy music.
How ever it came about, what really matters is how Gabi Lunca sounded. If the disc Gabi Lunca: Sounds From A Bygone Age: Vol. 5 is an accurate representation of her career, she was astounding. The passion in her voice and the energy of the music that accompanies her sound as if they were made for each other. A voice that's as gentle as a caress, but as strong and eternal as the wind that blows through the trees is not going to be easily forgotten once you've heard it, and I won't be forgetting Gabi Lunca in a hurry.
Article comments
1 - amba
Piaf? Hmmmmm. I think of her as the Romanian Billie Holiday.