The instrumentation is often like a circus band or Klezmer music. The sound is, in a word, bent, and so are the lyrics. Ruiz is truly weird.

Emile Simon's style is allied to Trip Hop. She shares the Trip Hop Characteristic of taking you into other spaces in your head. Her voice is girly and insinuating.

The world's best folk voice. Breathy,deep and seductive. Her albums are all acoustic guitar, and Bruni is a terrific guitarist. It would cheer up Leonard Cohen.

She is young but her age is unguessable: her Jazz covers are classic and timeless. Peyroux could make a DEAD Leonard Cohen smile.

Louise Feist of course is Canadian but now lives in Paris. It is in English. My favorite track on the album is not even by Feist: it is One Evening: Gonzales Solo Piano.

This, her second album, has a huge variety of styles and songs, but it is her sweetly seductive acoustic version of 'Green Grass' that is the initial grabber.

If Greco Knew Joan, Fontaine was there when the Lascaux caves were painted - and criticised them for not being avant-garde enough. If Peyroux could make the dead smile, Fontaine could make them drag you out of your bed in the dead of night and EAT you.

A style which is very varied: one moment making the audience laugh with gentleness and guitar, the next making simple, poignant piano beauty, the next bouncing.

Ceu is actually Brazilian (as is Cibelle, originally) but this is big in the French market. A full sound, complex and lovely, mostly ballad-based.

This is kinda folk but it swings. It's fun.

And we'll finish with the guiding saints of Nouvelle Chanson, Nouvelle Vague. They are just terrific.