VOILA - BELINDA CARLISLE
No “Our Lips Are Sealed” here. On the ex-Go-Go’s singer’s first solo disc since 1996, Carlisle turns in a seductive 11-track homage to French music. Not a “pop” album per se, “Voila” is a bit of a journey through French popular music, as interpreted by a fan. The chanteuse pours her soul into her vocals, expressing a far greater range of emotion than on her past bubble gum pop. Jacques Brel’s “Ne Me Quitte Pas” is rendered in a desperate, heartbreaking wail, while Edith Piaf’s “La Vie En Rose” is almost a techno anthem with its soaring melody. Serge Gainsbourg’s “Bonnie et Clyde” and “Contact” are the most playful, given appropriately cinematic treatments by producer John Reynolds and Brian Eno on keyboards. But it’s Carlisle’s voice and willingness to fully embrace these songs that really make this album work. Billboard
