A truly magnetic musical partnership which has been seducing audiences since their debut release, much loved artistes Abby Dobson – ‘Baby’ (Leonardo’s Bride) and Lara Goodridge – ‘Lulu’ (FourPlay) have recorded a second selection of classic and contemporary chansons, as well as, for the first time, a number of their own original compositions written in French. Baby et Lulu have enjoyed a new found poetic freedom in writing in the language they both love so much.

Produced impeccably once again by Tony Buchen (Tim Finn, Bob Evans, Dereb The Ambassador, Megan Washington) and Abby & Lara, ‘Album Deux’ features the prodigiously talented Baby et Lulu live band, boasting some of Sydney’s finest musicians in Matt Ottignon (flute, sax, clarinet), Julian Curwin (classical guitar), Marcello Maio (piano, accordion), Mark Harris (double bass), and Hamish Stuart (drums).

What does France and French culture mean to Baby et Lulu?

Lulu says:“I’ve been infatuated with France for as long as I can remember. It was at university that I discovered some of the great writers, poets and thinkers of France, including Derrida, Sartre, de Beauvoir, de Maupassant, Prévert, to name but a few. The Sorbonne in Paris is the oldest university in the world, so it’s no wonder that France has long been a home of new thought, yet presented with beauty and elegance. And of course, there’s also the French music, cuisine, and cinema which continue to enthrall me”.

Perhaps best of all – for both audience and duo – Baby et Lulu allows Abby and Lara the exhilaration of stepping into two sassy and playful characters in a veritable celebration of la vie française. A heady combination of feminine couture - from elegant to va va voom, seductive and witty banter, romantic chansons sung exquisitely in French, and the extraordinary musicianship of the band, leaves them and their audiences, enraptured. It is no surprise then, that Baby et Lulu continue to attract new devotees at their festival appearances and sold-out club shows across Australia.

Baby says:“For me, my love of French music followed my love of French language, food and sensuality. Parisian aesthetics are so captivating, even the lighting from people’s living room windows seems sublimely art directed! I still love to wander around Paris on a Sunday; the place is so quiet! And they close the shops; the French understand that, as a civilised nation, it’s important to have time to reflect, to switch off from the world of commerce; that an inner life is so valuable… They are not a culture uncomfortable with intensity or passion or melancholy. I was able to explore these aspects of myself without inhibition when I lived there as a young woman, and making music with Baby et Lulu affords me the same avenue of exploration and succour.”

Whatever the French connection and inspiration, it’s not hard to be swept away by the irresistible fun and folly which takes place whenever Baby et Lulu make beautiful music together. Voices that blend so beautifully, romance and seduction expressed so intelligently and humorously – these are rare commodities rightfully turning heads everywhere, and ‘Album Deux’ promises the adventure will continue.

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