Her return to French recording studios, 1968's "Comment te dire adieu" is more MOR-oriented than her previous releases. Richie Unterberger considered its music to be "perhaps even sadder and more sentimental than was the norm for Françoise". As the yé-yé era faded away following the May 68 protests, Hardy "smartly reinvented herself as an elusive folk rock jazz "chanteuse"" with her early 1970s releases. The singer looked for a more mature and less-pop oriented style in an effort to reflect her inner self to a greater extent. Described as "the first truly personal Françoise Hardy record", the 1971 album "La question" is regarded as an important turning point in her career, moving towards a less commercial sound with no apparent hooks. It is one of her "most sparsely produced efforts," with subdued and acoustic-flavored arrangements that feature guitar, touches of bass, and subtle orchestration. Through the work of Brazilian guitarist and arranger Tuca, the album incorporates marked influences of bossa nova music. Her vocals have been called "sultry" and "breathy", at times "[substituting] melodic humming in the place of singing, wordlessly articulating the emotional essence of the song." "La question" also marked the first time that Hardy had a part in choosing the string arrangements of her work.