Francophone trip-hop/ jazz fusion is becoming quite popular these days as evidenced by our good friends Air and Bran Van 3000. But the latest group to raise the bar for music in this genre is Ollano, whose self- titled release captures the essence of cool.

Songs like "Scarlett Flow" are marked by loose, shifting organ patterns, sweeping string crescendos, and just a sprinkling of snare drum. On top of it all is the sultry voice of Sandra Nkake, who captivates the audience with her sexy and dramatic sound. "Every Season" features another vocalist, Helen Noguerra, who adds a more exotic element to that track's tropical bossanova beat.

But don't get the idea that these vocal seductresses carry the songs-- the music is especially engaging and stands confidently alone. On the instrumental "La Couleur" a dreamy and astral flute monologue is paired with turntable scratching while the deep, dark bass sets the tone.

Xavier Jamaux, the mastermind behind Ollano, wrote 9 out of the record's 10 tracks, and his creative use of nontraditional jazz instruments like turntables and tablas-- combined with lyrics sung by smooth and polished sirens-- create a serious "acid jazz lite" that is not too heavy on percussion and is not at all weak in emotion. If this is the future of sound, we can all rest easy.

-Aparna Mohan