Album review: Carla Bruni, Little French Songs (Decca)

Carla Bruni, Little French Songs (Decca)

“When life goes wrong,” advises Carla Bruni, “try for a little French song” – commending their ability to transport one to Paris. With simple guitar accompaniment akin to ukelele, it's warmly welcoming, and entirely indicative of the mood of Little French Songs as a whole.

There's a pleasing balance between lilting chansons like “Prière” and “Dolce Francia”, with Bruni's acoustic guitar shadowed by cello, and the lighter spirits of the novelty “Le Pingouin” and the wry song of the bohemian demi-monde “Chez Keith et Anita”. But it's Bruni's intimacy that's the album's most alluring aspect.

Download: J'Arrive A Toi; Chez Keith et Anita; Dolce Francia