Jane Birkin's continuing obsession with
Serge Gainsbourg's enigma -- 11 years after his death, and 16 after their divorce -- resulted in this 1996 collection of songs that
Gainsbourg had either recorded himself or written for others. Without the net of
Gainsbourg's stylish, savvy arrangements and production skills behind her,
Birkin recruited help from some of the most unlikely sources:
Les Negresses Verté, blues-guitar deity
Sonny Landreth, French film composer
Eddy Louiss, and conductor
Philippe Delettrez. Easily the most eclectic recording of her career -- with all due respect to
Gainsbourg --
Versions Jane is a study not only in tribute to her late husband; but also a showcase for her own coming to terms with his memory, and championing his cause throughout Europe. This is easily her finest recording. But more than this, it established
Birkin as a twee-voiced chanteuse who could interpret
Gainsbourg's material the same way
Lotte Lenya could, singularly,
Kurt Weill's. The nuances of
Gainsbourg's language, and his delicately and subtly nuanced melodic lines, are all made plain for the listener in
Birkin's readings of classics such as "La Gadoue" -- with backing by
Les Negresses Verté -- "L'Anamour," "Ford Mustang," "Couleur Café," "Comment Te Dire Adieu," and the
Landreth spotlight, "Sorry Angel"; all of which are outstanding versions that improve on the originals. Indeed, virtually every track here improves on something
Gainsbourg laid down on one of his own records or wrote specifically for
Juliette Greco,
Brigitte Bardot,
Françoise Hardy,
Dalida, and others.
Birkin may not be everyone's idea of a great recording artist, but she proves the fools and naysayers wrong in spades here. ~ Thom Jurek