If there's one golden rule about pop music, it's that supermodels should never be given recording contracts. After all, as catwalk queens such as Naomi Campbell and Caprice have found out to their cost, stunning good looks aren't much help when you step up to the microphone. It's more than a little surprising, then, to report that the debut album from Carla Bruni is actually pretty good. Already a bestseller in her native France, it's a low-key collection of conventional love songs that pass the time pleasantly without ever really getting the blood racing. Fans of Francoise Hardy will recognise echoes of the great chanson tradition, with unobtrusive acoustic arrangements and Bruni's husky vocals pushed to the fore. Add in some rackety mandolins and you have a reasonably authentic evocation of a sultry afternoon in Paris. Enjoyable stuff - but next time it would be nice to hear Bruni take a few more risks.

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