Enhance your existence . Review on Putumayo Presents French Cafe - Various Artists

The album opens with the track Fibre de Verre, by Paris Combo, transporting the mood to something gallic. A jazzy sound fills the room, and this is something incredible, how light and airy it is, and yet so electric and dimensional. It seems to saturate the space. Does it turn your den into a cosmopolitan French Café? Almost - add a lazy smoke, a half-light afternoon glow, coffee and reverie. I've heard it played in large places, but its definitely better at intimate spaces- and unobtrusive enough to carry on a conversation through it, as befits café music. French cafes/bars nowadays play mostly electronica and lounge, I noticed when I used to live in Paris, but this sound is still around, and being experimented on by newcomers.

French cafes were the brewing-cauldron for all kinds of early 1900s bohemia - artists, poets, revolutionaries. And the music that was played in them reflects the mood of the Jazz age-cosmopolitan, romantic, optimistic, nostalgic, lyrical. The chanson (french song) of the wandering minstrels (troubadours, gypsies) since medieval times became the pipe and accordion music of the Parisian immigrants, giving rise to manouche (gypsy jazz) and musette styles. The nostalgia and heartache of the gypsy song was enhanced by added socio-political commentary and sharp satire from the 20's bohemia.

The music of French Café is an eclectic mix, representative, but not definitive (a great introduction to the style). The compilation feels seamless. Even if you never heard French café songs before, you might find it familiar through its influences on film music - from Woody Allen to Raj Kapoor. Putumayo picked up reps from 1920s Parisian gypsy jazz and the 60's chanson, from both classic and contemporary artists who are reviving the style. For some reason, they chose to center around idol Serge Gainsbourg, and his foreshadowers and followers, and left out the more widely renowned chanson singer Edith Piaf, and gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt.

Fibre de Verre (Fibreglass) by the quintet of Paris Combo is swinging gypsy jazz, catchy and mood-brightening. The opening sequence of guitar (by Potzi) and trumpet (David Lewis) is just perfect, leading on to singer Belle du Berry's classic smoky café voice singing of waiting for the perfect lover. ''But tomorrow, yes tomorrow/I swear/ I will open my eyes/Both of my eyes, very wide/ To find a good-looking man/A good lover/ Who will save my life /While loving me''. (the songs are all sung in French, but if you want the lyrics, try searching at paroles.net.) Another song by the same group is On N’a Pas Besoin (One Doesn’t need to), a modern jazzy number.

Of the classics, the sole song of Serge Gainsbourg's vibrant tenor sings of Marilou Sous la Neige (Marilou under the snow), a classic chanson from the 70s. For good old fashioned French café at its most traditional, hear Georges Brassen's mellifluous Je M’Suis Fait Tout Petit (I made myself very small), alongside a simple folksy guitar.

Two of Serge's paramours figure in the CD. The most playful chanteuse song is Elaeundanla Teiteie (Laetitia), spelling out the name Laetitia, by Jane Birkin. The lyric is typical regret-filled chanson (''On my portable typewriter/ I wrote your name Laeticia/ The days follow each other/But do not look the same/ I cultivate this pain/When I type the eight letters Laetitia). The song Un Jour Comme un Autre (A Day Like Any Other) is by his other mistress Brigitte Bardot, who was also a well-established musician in addition to being screen siren. Jazzy and sultry.

The rest are newcomers, trying out old classics under new influences. A personal favorite is Si la Photo est Bonne (If the picture is good) by Barbara, of being attracted to a good-looking criminal's photo in the papers. Barbara's beautiful diction and evocative rendering with an incredibly light guitar showcases just how beautifully musical the French language can be. The track gives me goose bumps.

Enzo Enzo, a progressive interpreter of the traditional chanson, and Juste Quelqu'un de Bien (Just someone good) is a racy blend of electronica keyboard, compulsive guitar and gypsy jazz bass. The lyrics also sound more contemporary, of giving up dreams of Perfection, and settling for just someone good.

The breathy La Mer Opale (The Opal Sea) of nomadic love by Coralie Clement, another newcomer, begins with a bossa nova swing that reminds vividly of old-time Hindi song. I didn’t care for her voice that much, lacking the crystal clarity of the traditional chanson singers. Ondule (Undulating) by Mathieu Boogaerts is wonderful vocal with reggae and electronica influences. ''Here and there, by the moon/Without any firm ideas/It is a shame/I never feel the same''...the weaving in and out of the accompaniments keeps varying the feel subtly.

The last three begin the fade-out subtly. Mal o Mains (Pain in the hands) by Sanseverino a bouncy jazz-influenced track with a violin that sounds like vocal duet with singer Stephane Sanseverino. En Douce, a foxtrot by Baguette Quartette sounds very different, being the only one of musette style using the accordion. The last La Fée Clochette (Tinkerbell) by Polo is more sweet manouche.

To most of us, the first brand impact of a Putumayo CD is the wonderful folklore-influenced art on its cardboard covers (Putumayo doesn't use plastic) by British artist Nicola Heindl. Putumayo (for those who never heard of it) is a compiler of world music. I'm not a follower of all World Music as such, but I'm drawn to a few -Celtic, Latin and French. Putumayo is the name of a river in South America. Dan Stoper, its founder and avid world traveler, saw the customers coming into his store in New York to buy clothing and craft assembled from the world over, and stopping to ask him what was that incredible sound playing in the store. He decided to carve a non-traditional niche in the music biz, introducing audiences in the US to sounds from other corners of the globe. He had a clear vision for Putumayo as a global lifestyle brand- Putumayo World Music would retail in non-record stores as well, and promote the music through live performances, music education and charitable causes to help the regions that produced these sounds.

Look for this in the world music aisle. And let me know what it did for you. Its on permanent play in my room these days.