Album Review: Lou Doillon - Places

Lou Doillon is better known in the fashion and acting worlds, but Places sees the French style icon, model and actress deliver her debut album. Given her genes (she is the daughter of fashion icon, actress and singer Jane Birkin – who just happens to have one of the most coveted designer handbags in the world named after her – and half-sister of fashion icon, actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg), this is a surprisingly late foray into the music world.

Produced and arranged by French singer, songwriter and producer Etienne Daho (who has also worked with Gainsbourg and is friends with Birkin), Places is, unexpectedly, sung purely in English with an accent that belies her roots. Doillon's musical style is much like her fashion sense: relaxed and not fussy, but well put together. Sure, she isn't doing anything that is particularly breathtaking or groundbreaking, but the tracks contained on Places are unexpectedly self-assured, and you find yourself having to remember that this is, actually, a debut album. It really feels as though she has been doing this for years. Her slightly husky low-slung vocals flow effortlessly over the musical accompaniment, which could be best described as folk, with Same Old Game, One Day After Another and Jealousy being prime examples of this.

The album only really loses momentum towards the end, with the title track and Real Smart (the two longest songs out of the 11 on offer) dragging things down, especially given that they follow the very upbeat Questions And Answers. This aside, Places is an impressive debut. If Doillon was ever intimidated by the musical shadow cast by Birkin and Gainsbourg in terms of actually releasing a record for public consumption, you'd never know it.