Includes Bonus CD

Personnel: Fiachna O'Braonain (vocals, guitar); Segat Guirey (flamenco guitar); Winnie Horan (violin); Julian Wilson (strings, piano, Hammond b-3 organ, keyboards); Sharon Shannon, Graham Henderson (accordion); Brian Eno (keyboards); Clare Kenny (bass instrument); John Reynolds (drums, programming).

Belinda Carlisle has followed an interesting trajectory over the years, from youthful garage punk to new wave-pop diva (fronting the Go-Gos) to adult contemporary solo artist. Given her many phases, it shouldn't be too much of a curveball to learn that VOILA, Carlisle's first solo album in 10 years, is an homage to the French chanson tradition. Yet it's somehow odd to hear Carlisle singing entirely in French, and taking on the songs of Edith Piaf, Francoise Hardy, and Serge Gainsbourg.

But Carlisle pulls the project off with panache: VOILA is executed with sophistication and skill. The excellent selection of material is the bedrock of the album (Jacques Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas," for example, is a highlight), but the genre-splicing arrangements, and guests like Brian Eno and Hothouse Flowers, keep things fresh. Still, it's Carlisle's show, and her interpretations of these French classics make this unique album a worthy listen.

Entertainment Weekly (p.76) - "[S]he applies a fluency in French and her infamous vibrato to beloved Gallic evergreens..." -- Grade: B

Uncut (p.72) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[She] successfully brings a fresh but emotionally convincing slant to epics like 'Ne Me Quitte Pas' and 'La Vie En Rose'."