Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5.55

by Andrew Dolton

Many actresses have decided that one string to their bow is not enough

"An album that crosses themes of sex, claustrophobia, travel, fear and sadness is always going to be very introspective and it’s hardly surprising that Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon, no strangers to introspection, were both aid and influence here. "

Over the years, there have been many actresses that have decided that one string to their bow is not enough and they need to spread their wings. The second bow that they choose is very frequently music. Some have been more successful than others but there are usually mitigating circumstances to those successful in both fields.

Charlotte Gainsbourg first tried her hand at music in her teenage years singing a song called ‘Lemon Incest’ with her father Serge. Twenty odd years later after carving out a successful acting career she returns to the fold with an album that pulls no punches subject wise and is very much in the Gainsbourg mould.

A mix of melancholy, sensitivity and an overwhelming feeling of Frenchness envelops this album. This is not a prime example of a new burgeoning French chanteuse, infact far from it. One thing that Charlotte has definitely inherited from her father is a limited vocal range. The majority is almost softly spoken rather than sung but this all adds to the sense of occasion and the interpretation of songs and situations is what really grabs you and makes this album what it is.

An album that crosses themes of sex, claustrophobia, travel, fear and sadness is always going to be very introspective and it’s hardly surprising that Jarvis Cocker and Neil Hannon - themselves no strangers to introspection - were both aid and influence here. To keep up the family connection there is definitely an essence of Jane Birkin here on a kind of French equivalent of Black Box Recorder but with a more melodic sound. The mention of Air’s Nicholas Godin in the credits is also not a surprise as musically this floats and drifts as well as the finest of their works.

One for the late night when the last glass of Bordeaux is being drunk whilst you are with the one that matters. Just lovely.

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