Jane Birkin

Arabesque (Capitol, France)
by Michael McCarthy

Jane Birkin re-visits the material of her late beau, Serge Gainsbourg, on her new live album Arabesque (Capitol, France). Most of the set consists of songs he wrote and produced for her in the ’70s and ’80s, such as the always seductive “Baby Alone In Babylone,” but she also performs some of the gems from his personal catalog, including the ridiculous “Elisa” and pleasingly giddy “Couleur Café.” To be sure, a few of the 16 songs on hand aren’t Gainsbourg compositions, but they’re hardly the highlights and they only make it clear that her voice never sounds so lovely as when she’s singing his kinky paroles.