Quelle heure est-il? C'est l'heure de pop Francais! That's right, ma petite cherie. This year, French pop is a la mode. Local music stores have replaced their RealWorld stocks with reissues of '60s French bubble gum. Et pourquoi pas? Francoise Hardy and bad boy Serge Gainsbourg have always had a certain je ne sais quoi. And sex kittens Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot never fail to give us wet spots between the legs. C'est le 99 annee erotique, l'amour will conquer all.

Pop Romantique: French Pop Classics collects nine new cover songs, French originals by the Apples in Stereo and the Ladybug Transistor featuring Kevin Ayers, and a previously released collaboration between Francoise Hardy and French electronica duo Air ("Jeanne"). Most of these tunes are perky, hummable and mercifully short. Nothing as daring as John Zorn's Great Jewish Music tribute to Serge Gainsbourg, but that crowd isn't Emperor Norton's target audience. This collection is pH balanced for trendsetters, Francophiles, and those fond of sophisticated fluff with a pinch of irony.

Qui Est In...

Ivy chanteuse Dominique Durand fogs up the windows with her breathy cover of Gainsbourg's "L'Anamour." On "La Poupee Qui Fait Non" (penned by Michel Polnareff), Luna continue their cover song winning streak-- have you heard their version of Lennon's "Jealous Guy?" And the Magnetic Fields provide a deliciously thick and circular rendition of the obscure "Le Tourbillion" (originally recorded by Bassiak). But the most memorable tune on the album has to be the Apples In Stereo original "Avril En Mai." Give partial credit to the band, and partial credit to this compilation's dubious selection of "classic" cover material; most of these tunes defined French pop about as much as "Mexican Radio" and "Axel F" defined New Wave.

Qui Est Out...

John Wesley Harding's cover of Gainsbourg's "Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M'En Vais" drags in comparison to the original, not to mention in comparison to last year's cover by Stereo Total. As for Lloyd Cole & His Negatives' cover of Dylan's "Si Tu Dois Partir," it probably would have made more sense in this context to cover Jacques Dutronc, Dylan's twangy, politically- aware French counterpart. Better luck next time, boys!

-Zach Hammerman