29 Music Germany Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Since emerging in the late 1990s, Swedish singer/songwriter Jay-Jay Johanson has carved a niche as a purveyor of beguiling, jazzy and occasionally surprisingly dark music. "Kings Cross", his 14th studio set, is an altogether warmer and more softly spun affair. Of course, his distinctively low key but emotion-rich vocal delivery remains the same, it's just the music beneath that has been given a bit of a remix. You'll find a gaggle of lusciously orchestrated, Sebastien Tellier style cuts, a handful of dusty downtempo groovers, some gentle folk-rock songs and even a small selection of nu-jazz numbers. The result is an album whose slow motion ethos and subtle beauty is surprisingly alluring.

Review: De L'amour Mais Quelle Drole D'idee by Charlotte Rampling (translated as "Love but what a funny idea") is truly the album of an actress. Born from her meeting with Leonard Lasry, Charlotte Rampling inhabits each of the songs with her immediately recognizable vocal imprint with truly unique results. Lush melodies and a production benefiting from luxurious arrangements bring the record to life while the songs are sometimes spoken, sung and played like scenes from the cinema. The lyrics are rare poetry and evoke intimate feelings as they alternate between tenderness, melancholy and sometimes even a few amused and piquant notes.