Camille – Oui album review: Beautiful voice that tricks, teases and tantalises

Before Christine and The Queens made the hugely popular case for idiosyncratic French pop, there was Camille Dalmais. Over four previous albums, Dalmais created bright and bold pop songs where leftfield pop sensibilities and experimental notions got merry with wild abandon.

She has always had a strong melodic acumen when it comes to vocals and Oui highlights this skill with a fascinatingly deft demonstration of how to blend language, music and harmonies into spirals of sound.

Over a soundbed of minimal percussion and skeletal synth craftwork, Dalmais' voice tricks, teases and tantalises. She can do menacing noir (Sous le sables), thumping bass bangers (Les toups) and grandstanding pop (Seeds) just as easily as she can provide ghostly chants (Je ne mache pas mes mots) or sweet harmonies (Fontain au lait).

For those who say yes to Oui, there's also a hugely enjoyable back catalogue to investigate and be smitten by.

[ camilleofficiel.fr ]