If You Listen

With all but one song sung in English, 1972’s If You Listen, initially released as Francoise Hardy, is one of her attempts at crossing over to American audiences. Truth be told, Hardy’s music is just as mysterious and entrancing in her native French. The acoustics and light string arrangements always work in her favor. The lone French tune is also her only original composition, the dignified and stately “Brûlure.” “Bown Bown Bown” was originally recorded in a French version but is equally enjoyable and pop-ignited in English. However, Hardy is a rainy-day dreamer and her interpretations of Randy Newman’s “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today,” Neil Young’s “Till the Morning Comes” and Buffy Sainte-Marie’s “Let My Name Be Sorrow,” a tune popularized by Mary Hopkin, set the overall tone. Hardy’s English performances are intriguing for the simple fact that she still sings with the same intense introspection. Her voice never shouts or attempts to sing over the music. She sings with a charming politeness that still brings the musical beauty across.