Acting as passionate guardian of the memory of her mentor, Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin has interpreted his work to a lusty backing of Arabic, Andalusian and oriental influences for this concert recording. Gainsbourg's brittle, detached style gets a vibrant makeover, with exotic rhythms and brooding drums thrown like brightly coloured but surprisingly tasteful scatter cushions into a chic, minimalist room. The brooding hum of Elisa matches the squashed notes of Djamel Benyelles's violin, the mood oppressive until the lively drums bring a sweeping sensuality. When Birkin suddenly drops her stern French and calls out in English, it is an intimate, revealing moment.

Et Quand Bien Même sees her struggling with melancholy; she falls silent as the rhythm picks up and transforms the ballad into a dance, like a fleeting memory of ecstasy crossing a broken mind. Though she sometimes sounds like an eager Sylvia Young graduate, overtly theatrical against the emotive violin and drums of Les Cles du Paradis, Birkin shines with confidence and pride, enjoying the familiarity of Gainsbourg's songs and the freedom of the heady rhythms.