- As Miss Kittin, Caroline Hervé has always been a generous guest—think of "Silver Screen Shower Scene" with Felix Da Housecat and "Rippin Kittin" with Golden Boy, or more recent spots on Oxia, Kris Menace and Marc Houle tracks. She brings instant charisma, dispassionate camp, and an immediately recognizable vocal grain. And that's not even mentioning her definitive work with The Hacker, which had an unbending techno edge that we tend to forget about. But as a solo artist, she seems to have trouble finding her voice. 2004's I.Com wrestled with tuneless electronica, and 2007's Batbox blended bedroom electro with Goth-lite impulses that never really gelled. That said, last year's Jackathon-sponsored "Girlz" showed a renewed sense of purpose. Despite its flaws, Calling From The Stars, her new double-album, continues the trend.
If you can look past the overall daftness of the lyrics on album opener "Flash Forward," or in its first single, "Life Is My Teacher," you realize how Hervé has matured as a songwriter. On CD1 especially, there's a real compositional knowledge at work: graceful melodies are complemented by carefully crafted arrangements. There is a vintage sensibility on display as well: "Maneki Neko" sounds like an electronic version of Japanese indie surf-rockers Shonen Knife, while "Night Of Light" recalls Ray of Light-era Madonna. On "What To Wear," vocal performance and production are stunningly in synch—sung both in English and French, it's a perfect realization of Miss Kittin's singular approach to dance music, and possibly the best thing she's ever released.
CD2, on the other hand, is mostly built around instrumental lullabies like "Only You," "Tamarin Bay," and album closer "I Don't Know How To Move," all of which radiate with a warm, pulsating glow. This half of the album has a more downtempo feel that borders on IDM at times.
Sadly, the mood here is probably too homogeneous to justify the album's length. Also, why Hervé keeps doing cringe-worthy cover versions is beyond comprehension. A few years ago, she and The Hacker recorded an embarrassing electronic take on Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Mind," and this time, it's R.E.M.'s famous ballad "Everybody Hurts" that gets the Kittin treatment. The end result sounds like a shameful karaoke. Nonetheless, fans of Miss Kittin should still give Calling From The Stars a go, as it remains her most accomplished solo release to date.
TracklistCD 1
01. Flash Forward
02. Come Into My House
03. Bassline
04. Calling From The Stars
05. Life Is My Teacher
06. Maneki Neko
07. What To Wear
08. Night Of Light
09. Tears Like Kisses
10. Eleven
11. Blue Grass
12. See You
13. Everybody Hurts
CD 2
01. Only You
02. Cosmic Love Radiation
03. Tamarin Bay
04. Sunset Mission
05. Mind Stretching
06. Ballad Of The 23rd Century
07. What You See
08. Sortie Des Artistes
09. Silver Lake
10. I Don't Know How To Move