Charlotte Gainsbourg has a pretty voice, but it’s more or less just that: pretty. What I mean to say is that she doesn’t possess a lot of range, which makes it all the more astonishing that her new album IRM is such an enjoyable listen. Despite her lack of raw vocal talent, the fourteen tracks that compose the album are a relatively varied and interesting bunch. Gainsbourg herself deserves credit here for switching up her style and delivery from song to song, but the real congratulations should be directed at Beck, who wrote and produced all but one of the album’s songs.

The album’s feel and style varies so much over its course that it never gets boring despite the relative sameness of Gainsbourg’s vocals throughout. She keeps her singing to a soft, middling call for most of the songs, but like I said, she switches up her cadence and delivery to the point where she at least seems like she has some range, at least enough to keep things from getting boring.

Still, it’s Beck’s superb songwriting that deserves the most credit. He tries a wide variety of stylistic approaches, and is for the most part successful. Check the straightforward and acoustic “Heaven Can Wait” versus the mechanical and impatient title track, easily two of the best songs here, and you get an idea of what I mean. Both songs are smashing successes and worlds apart stylistically, and it’s this variance that makes IRM a winner.

Like I said before, Gainsbourg’s voice is very pretty, and she could get away with that for a while, but not for the forty-four minutes she puts in here, not without some great production and songwriting. There’s really too much happening here to mention in one short review, but I’ll try to hit on some of the ideas Beck tries out.

“Greenwich Mean Time” has traces of Midnite Vultures’ “Get Real Paid” all over it, and bonus track “Looking Glass Blues” rocks out and gets funky, recalling any number of Beck staples, specifically Odelay! – era material. Some of my favorite stuff here happens to be some of the slowest and prettiest tracks on the record. “In The End”, “Vanities”, and “La Collectionneuse” all feel linked stylistically without being too similar, and these slower songs give Gainsbourg some room to breathe and let her voice do its thing, and the results are beautiful. Also among this group is the one track Beck did not work on, and the only song performed entirely in French, “Le Chat du Café des Artistes”, and it too is irresistible, owing it’s beauty to the lovely vocals and beautiful instrumental arrangement.

Other tracks are a bit more aggressive and up tempo and they too play an important part in keeping the album from getting boring. “Trick Pony” and “Voyage” are much more in your face than the aforementioned tracks, and the two styles provide excellent breaks from one another. I can’t overstate how much this variety contributes to the success of IRM, as do Beck’s songwriting and production. The album may have Charlotte’s name on the cover, and her lovely pipes are certainly part of the equation, but don’t forget to mention IRM the next time you find yourself explaining to someone why Beck is awesome.
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Catch Charlotte Gainsbourg Wednesday, April 21 at the Park West. Buy tickets at Etix.com when they go on sale tomorrow, Saturday, March 13, at 10 a.m. CST.
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Charlotte Gainsbourg -- “One Trick Pony” -- Live on Letterman -- 1/22/2010