Claudine

by Greg AdamsClaudine Longet's gold-selling debut tenders light, airy French pop like Jane Birkin without her eroticism or Serge Gainsbourg's kitsch. "A Man and a Woman (Un Homme et une Femme)," with its uncredited male vocalist, sounds like a Gainsbourg duet, but elsewhere Longet and her breathy, girlish voice take center stage. Three songs from the album charted, with "Hello, Hello" performing very well in adult contemporary circles. Longet's cover of The Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere" aroused some interest, but her rendition of Mary Wells' "My Guy" is simply adorable. Sixties French pop of the sort heard on Claudine enjoyed a renaissance in the '90s thanks to bands like Stereolab and Ivy, and the album will please backward-looking explorers inspired by that trend as well as nostalgic easy listeners.