More Sexy Sounds

If you like the sweet, seductive whisper of a beautiful woman with a fetching, unique accent that originates somewhere in the Chunnel, between London and Paris, then there’s a strong chance you’ll like the new CD by the actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, 5:55. The music was composed by Air, the highly tasteful French lounge-groove band. It’s a fitting combination in more ways than one; for much of the album, the noise from the air being expelled from Charlotte’s lungs is as loud as the tones she’s making with her vocal cords. Part of what I’m charmed by is that this isn’t the sort of typical high-show-biz, look-I-can-sing-too (because-I-had-a-vocal-coach-too-when-my-stage-parents-were-molding-me) project that lots of Anglo-American actors seem to produce: Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jamie Lynn Sigler, I’m talking to you (among others)! The wide open spaces of Air are so very welcoming to Charlotte’s softness, a kind of charming, weary timidity, or perhaps timid weariness. There’s also a charm in the slight karaoke feel of the singing.