Camille
Music Hole
(EMI)
Known mainly as the singer for Nouvelle Vague, Camille has become a star in France through her elastic voice and kinetic presence. Music Holeuses minimal instrumentation, relying on body percussion by Brazil’s Barbatuques, animal impressions and a larynx on the loose. “The Monk” begins as a showcase of range before “do-la-la-lis” and “doo-dah-da-coos” descend in a swarm. Playful as Björk, compelling as Zap Mama, Camille takes each track down a different route to something new. “Money Note” turns gasps and scat into a funkiness rarely heard from the continent. Camille’s move to sing in English flies through all obstacles, thanks to creative punctuation.
—Doug Taylor
This article appears in Sep 4-10, 2008.