Pierre Lapointe is a hopeless romantic—and that is a good thing. Big ideas push his songwriting to breathtaking heights on his impeccable second album, which cemented his status as one of Quebec's sharpest young talents. Whether alone at the piano, backed by a chorale or a cascading string section, Lapointe sings of life and love with an arresting sense of poetry, a poet's sense of melody, and a striking emotional fearlessness. Rarely is pop music so audacious and refined.