Finding a modicum of passion, beauty, and depth in good popular music these days is relatively easy, but a refreshing new sound remains, more than ever, that rarest of commodities.  When was the last time you heard a record that instantly seduced you with its on-of-a-kind point of view and novel combination of styles?  Well, Paris Combo has managed the seemingly impossible with its third album, an irriesistable affair loaded with attitude and charm.

The French quintet’s post-modern take on the art of the chanson is as light and airy as a soufflé, yet as sinfully rich as a bowl of crème brulee. Anchored on the cheeky vocals of Belly du Berry and the elegant guitar and banjo work of Potzi, the band pays homage to a century of French cabaret music, with the obvious jazzy echoes of Django Rheinhardt thrown in for good measure.

But Paris Combo is far from anachronistic.  The quintet has an open ear for other genres and makes sure to include snippets of Middle Eastern mood and shadings of Gypsy bravado in its expertly orchestrated musical mélange.  The instrumentation is always subtle: a bit of piano or trumpet, a restrained rhythm section, the occasional guitar solo, and the potent voice of du Berry, which exudes, at all times, a delectable sort of coolness.  For an instant fix, try the title track, a rollicking dance number embellished by an endearingly old-fashioned drum break.  Even the slow tunes, like the bucolic “Berceuse Insomniaque,” brim with life.  A minimum knowledge of the French language will have you rolling with the Combo’s absurdist humor and eccentric wit.
                                  
- Ernesto Lechner