Music Review

02 December 2008 02:03 BST

Yael Naim and David Donatien: Yael Naim

Atlantic Records, out now.

In a nutshell…

Airy debut from talented songstress.

What's it all about?

Yael Naim was released by French label Tot ou Tard in France, where it has sold more than 200,000 copies. Following Apple's use of New Soul in the Apple ad, Atlantic Records is now launching the album internationally.

Who's it by

Born to Tunisian parents in Paris, Yael Naim grew up mainly in a small town near Tel Aviv. Inspired by the Beatles, Aretha Franklin and Joni Mitchell, Naim - who had ten years of classical piano training - was on course for a career in music. After two years of compulsory military service, Naim returned to France at the age of 22. In the city where she was born she met David Donatien, a multi-instrumentalist with whom she arranged and recorded the songs that would make up her self-titled album.

As an example…

"I irrigate illusions then let them grow/How can I pacify myself and let go/And I run wild to see/Who I turned out to be." - From Too Long

Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys

Unlikely - unless there is a category for TV commercial soundtracks.

What the others say

"Yael Naim is a find, indeed. Her musical style may recall others, but her linguistic twist may be a way to stick out from the pack." - Allan Raible on ABC News blogs

"Bland and uninspiring: a soundtrack for the lives of people who don't really like music very much." - Darren Harvey on musicOMH.com

So is it any good?

Having gone out of my way in the past to get my hands on music by Feist and Corinne Bailey Rae - musicians Yael Naim has been compared to - it was a no-brainer: obviously I was going to love the album by the singer of the brilliant song from the Macbook Air ad.

However, New Soul is not an indication of Naim's sound. Don't get me wrong, the rest of the album is not bad at all - it's just that overall, there is not a single song that has the same immediate kind of impact as the first single.

Listening to her hauntingly beautiful voice singing in French, English and Hebrew is almost intoxicating, but her sound is a somewhat acquired taste. You don't have to be multilingual to understand that the main theme of the album is melancholy (despite the final track's promising title Endless Song of Happiness).

Paris is charming, if you like that kind of thing, while repeat listens bring the beauty of songs like Levater and Yashanti to the fore. Naim introduces another facet to her musical persona with a cover of Toxic - yes, the same song sung by Britney Spears dressed as an air hostess. Devoid of the sexual overtones of the original version, the song has a darker quality - and perhaps remains truer to the intended meaning - when sung by Naim.

At the risk of falling into the traps of clichés, Naim's voice is incredibly pure. But in spite of that, and the obvious musical talent behind the creation of each song, the album as a whole falls short of expectations.

6/10

Karen Moller