Pause for a moment to consider the concept of beauty. Beauty is often said to be in the eye of the beholder so, with that in mind, is it even possible to hear beauty? I hazard the answer to that is in the affirmative and Les Brünettes – Juliette Brousset, Stephanie Neigel, Julia Pellegrini and Lisa Herbolzheimer - do their a cappella best to prove that very case.
It is probably no surprise to find that four female voices working in harmony are the signpost to sonic nirvana and, with politeness and, with perfect diction much to the fore, Les Brünettes are soon up to cruising speed. Opening with “Bye Bye Blackbird“ might seem to indicate a desire to play it safe in their choice of songs as indeed would their selection of festival friendly songs like “Round Midnight“ and even Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes“. However, there is nothing wrong with singing songs people know when you can bring them to life as Les Brünettes do. Who could argue with the entrancing elegance of the aforementioned rendition of “Round Midnight“ for example?
There is original material too and that is likewise handled with a near ethereal lightness of touch and “Je Pense A Toi”, in particular, sounding like it had been delivered to your ears on a wandering cloud.
The case for being able to hear beauty is duly proven and, as a bonus, this album sounds pretty damn fine too.