KEY POINTS:
YAEL NAIM & DAVID DONATIEN
[Self-titled] (Warners)
Herald Rating: * * * *
Verdict: Uplifting melancholy at its curious best.
If you could hear the sound of a heart breaking, Yael Naim's haunting vocals could well be it.
The French-Israeli singer - who shot to prominence after her delightful song New Soul featured on the Mac Book Air advertisement - makes the Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness sound positively upbeat. But much like a well-deserved, cathartic wallow, Naim's collaboration with percussionist David Donatien is strangely restorative and indulgent.
The album is a collection of gorgeous, wistful songs in English, Hebrew and French.
At times, the hypnotic mellowness threatens to overpower listeners and the occasional chirrup of birdsong between tracks is too trite for words. But just as you start to zone out completely, Naim reels you back in.
The highlight of the album, aside from New Soul, is the stripped back cover of Toxic. Yes, as in Britney Spears. A curious addition, it's as fascinating as it is beautiful. Naim, who appears to be innocence personified, singing the sexually charged lyrics of music's biggest train wreck will leave you with a sad smile for hours after.
But not before the final song, Endless Song of Happiness bolsters your spirits, completing your emotional cleansing.
