A great document of the way that Jane Birkin really flourished in the second half of her musical career, especially in the years after the passing of Serge Gainsbourg – a time when Birkin was emerging to be one of the real giants of French music on her own, as testified to in the power of this series of live performances! The Jane Birkin here is very different than the breathy voice next to Serge on her early recordings – and instead, she commands the stage with the presence of singers like Maria Bethania or Gal Costa – maybe no surprise, as the very generous presentation of these performances will attest. The box brings together live sets from 1987 up to 2023 – albums that include Au Bataclan, Au Casino De Paris, A L'Olympia, En Concert Au Japon, Arabesque, Au Palace, Sings Serge Gainsbourg Via Japan, Le Symphonique Live, and Oh Pardon Tu Dormais. CD

A sexy soundtrack to a mid-70s film written and directed by Serge Gainsbourg – and starring Jane Birkin and a young Gerard Depardieu! The feel here is very much in the spirit of Serge's work of the time – especially that recorded with Birkin – but in a way, it's almost even better, because the soundtrack setting has most of the tunes stripped down to their barest elements – with a simplicity not heard in Gainsbourg's music since Melody Nelson! Instrumentation includes some great "watery" piano bits that kind of float over the main rhythmic theme – but other tracks get a bit more rockish, with heavy bunker rock-styled guitar, and a few more use a bit of banjo – but in a weirdly syncopated way. The score features a few great variations on the classic "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus" – and the "Ballade De Johnny-Jane" is a great instrumental that stands as one of Serge's most compelling themes from the 70s! Other tracks include "Banjo Au Bord Du Styx", "Joe Banjo", "Le Camion Jaune", and "L'Abominale Strip-Tease". CD

A beautiful love letter from Dee Dee Bridgewater to her adopted home of Paris – sung in French, and with a feel that's quite different than much of her recent work! The style here wonderfully mixes together bits of jazz and more traditional chanson – in a style that recalls some of the recent work by Claude Nougaro, but which also has traces of some of Dee Dee's more intimate work as well. Marc Berthoumieux plays accordion on a number of tunes on the set, and Ira Coleman contributes some warmly soulful basslines that give the session a nice bottom grounding – especially on the mellower tunes. Titles include "Mon Homme", "Et Maintenant", "La Belle Vie", "Dansez Sur Moi", "Avec Le Temps", "Les Feuilles Mortes", and "Ne Me Quitte Pas" – plus the Japanese exclusive bonus track "L'Hymne A L'Amour". (Vocalists, French) CD