Françoise

One of Françoise Hardy's biggest fantasies was to sing with...Julio Iglesias. She says so in the liner notes to Parentheses, her new album on which this fantasy comes true. In fact: more fantasies become reality, like duetting with Alain Delon (who, by the way, has his own brand of cigarettes in Cambodia) and pianiste Helene Grimaud. Parentheses is, you guessed it, a duet-album. Proposed by her record company, it features a few usual suspects (Jacques Dutronc, Benjamin Biolay, Alain Bashung, Arthur H) and some odd ones out, like Iglesias and Grimaud. There's one English duet, with singer-songwriter Ben Christophers. Not every combination works, and certainly not every male partner lives up to his reputation. But Françoise does, bless her. [Merci á Frans]

Françoise Hardy & Julio Iglesias - Partir Quand Même
Françoise Hardy & Benjamin Biolay - Des Lendemains Qui Chantent
Françoise Hardy & Rodolphe Burger - Cet Enfant Que Je T'avais Fait (best song on the album, methinks)