Yael Naim & David Donatien – Yael Naim

• 30th Mar 2008

Yet another wispy female singer-songwriter is given her big break by an Apple advert, but is Yael Naim any good? Recent single New Soul is the song featured on the Macbook Air advert and the similarities with Feist are there for all to see, but Naim has more strings to her bow.

Born in Paris to Tunisian-Jewish parents and brought up in Israel, Yael Naim has had a depth of influences to draw from. This is abundantly clear on her eponymous sophomore album, on which she sings in French, Hebrew and English. Just like a number of other foreign artists, however, the meaning of the lyrics is not the most important element of her songs: Naim utilises the sounds of the words as much as their meaning, using the voice as the most prominent instrument. Coupled with delicate and at times unnoticeable instrumentation, Naim’s vocals captivate from the get-go and allow listeners to understand her emotions without a grasp of the language.

The album’s highlights – with the exception of New Soul – are the foreign-language offerings. The vocal contrast with David Donatien on Shelcha is reminiscent of Conor Oberst’s collaborations with Emmylou Harris on Bright Eyes’ album I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, while the atmospheric Paris and the subtly-textured Pachad bookend the album superbly. The only low point is Naim’s dubious decision to cover Britney Spears’ Toxic. It is substantially better than the original, of course, but it remains a blot on an otherwise distinguished album.

Yael Naim is worth checking out even if you didn’t love New Soul, as the talent and versatility of this remarkable talent is a joy to behold.