Le ciel saigne le martyre

Album covers can reflect an artist tremendously. The alarmingly dark cover of Francophone pop singer Anik Jean's second album, Le Ciel Saigne Le Martyre, portrays her as a French equivalent to Dita Von Teese. No, Von Teese isn't actually a singer, but Jean's ghostly skin contrasted against a deep ruby curtain plus her raven-colored hair bear strong similarities to many gothic celebrities. This haunting image carries over on the album's first few tracks. Jean's voice, which isn't entirely dissimilar to Jenny Lewis' or newbie Nicole Atkins', glides over the sickly musical accompaniments. The effect is simply mystifying. In an almost harassingly dark manner, Jean creates a horrifying musical masterpiece that chills. For all English listeners, the effect is even more touching, as the French music masks the mystery in a veil of confusion that heightens the other musical senses. This gorgeous tactic is most staunchly seen on "Si Parfait," a beautifully decayed track of desperation using hollow whispers and scarring vocals. Unfortunately, somewhere during the creative process of this album, something went wrong. Mark Plati, the executive producer, decided that creating a 100-percent artistically indulgent album just wouldn't cut it in today's music business. Therefore, every three or four tracks, something like "L.A. 007" was thrown into the mix. A heinous wrench of dark pop music armed with synthesizers and hooks is thrown into the mix. On a Pink album, or even on Megan McCauley's newest sample, "Better Than Blood," the song would be a nice addition. However, on this musically dark sampling, the "wrenches" are ear-bleeding. They shatter all the credibility that builds up, and Jean becomes less believable as an artist because she has conceded to selling a portion of her soul. The pop-inclined tracks are certainly in the minority on this album, and they don't manage to bring hits like "Gaspesie" or "Petit Coeur" down, (the latter bearing a to-die-for instrumental), yet after full listens to Le Ciel Saigne Le Martyre, a sense of betrayal washes over as we see how an artist has to give in so that her music is heard. Unfortunately, one or two bad apples spoil the lot, and Jean doesn't deserve her album bruised like that. This is a nearly there haunting classic; take out those extra tracks and we've got ourselves a ripping album. For now, it's just purring.