Keren Ann - La disparition (2002)

French chanteuse Keren Ann follows up her La Biographie de Luka Philipsen debut with the dazzling La Disparition. It's a romantic songbook of moods and tones, and a delightful set of traditional pop songs perfect for any season. Ann's soft, wispy vocals are the main attraction simply because they're that lovely. From the innocent childlike love of "Coin du Monde" and "Surranee" to the heartbreaking sophistication of "Illusioniste," La Disparition flows without pretense and with an unspoken kind of beauty. What's even more enchanting is the more cinematic, dark-hued numbers like the sultry chill of "Sable Mouvant" and the samba-flavored "La Corde et les Chaussons." It's here that Ann truly shines as a vocalist -- a near vocal seductress is more like it -- and as a performer. She possesses similar grace to that of Astrud Gilberto and Ivy's Dominique Durand. La Disparition is a stylish look at Ann's work in progress; she's really coming into her own as a traditional pop artist.