Notes
Named after the French word for the rustle of silk, Frou Frou's debut album exudes cool, stylish elegance. Singer Imogene Heap's soft, whispery vocals intone dreamy lyrics of doomed romances and slow recoveries. The songs are penned by Heap and her partner, producer Guy Sigsworth (Björk, Madonna), who manned the board on Heap's 1998 solo album I Megaphone. Even the mighty Brian Eno gets into the act, with a cowriting credit on the soul-bearing "Hear Me Out." In fact, all 11 tracks deal with love and fractured relationships, hauntingly beautiful both in their stark emotional content and the equally sparse arrangements that showcase Heap's ethereal voice, which she uses as a subtle weapon, much like Joni Mitchell circa 1970's Ladies of the Canyon, with the same heart-stopping yet effortless octave leaps. --Jaan Uhelszki