International pressing. Jane Birkin is of course best known in the UK for her 1969 duet with Serge Gainsbourg, Je t"aime (Moi Non Plus), where she panted her way to the top of the charts, however she has appeared in over 50 films, been a star of numerous theatre productions and recorded more than a dozen albums. Jane has expertly delved into her own past and handpicked a bouquet of different emotions for this album. A wonderful team of songwriters (Neil Hannon of Divine Comedy, Magic Numbers, Beth Gibbons, Rufus Wainwright, Arthur H, Dominique A, Cali and others) have slipped original compositions in between a few timeless pieces (including covers of songs by Tom Waits and Neil Young) under the direction of Renaud Letang and Gonzales, whose orchestrations are unmistakable. Singing most often in English, her innocent voice nestles as never before within a series of deceptively fragile arrangements, accentuated by Johnny Marr (the former Smiths front-man, who only gets his guitar out for a select few, like Bryan Ferry and Pet Shop Boys). Jane Birkin gives a lot in Fictions - a lot of herself, of course, and certainly more than enough to continue to please her audience on both sides of the Channel. EMI. 2006.