Calexico fans will recognize French-born, Tucson-bred Marianne Dissard as Madame to Joey Burns' love-struck gold-digger on Calexico's single, "Ballad of Cable Hogue" (from their 2000 album "Hot Rail"). Eight years on and Burns and Dissard have renewed their collaboration for the latter's debut album, "L'Entredeux" (with Burns co-writing 9 of the tracks on this long-player).

Translated as 'Inbetween two', this record is an intriguing meeting of French Chanson and Americana - a smouldering collection of 'twelve vignettes of love and other little lies'. The song-writing nods towards the likes of Leonard Cohen, Scott Walker, Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Brel, and Francois Hardy, as do the arrangements, which contain some beautiful detail (such as the sampled wax cylinder recording of an old French lesson on one of the album's highlights "Merci De Rien Du Tout").

Sung in French throughout, "L'Entredeux" has an almost cinematic feel to it. Imagine this album as the soundtrack to Jon Jost's Euro-lusting "All The Vermeers in New York", hear Lodge Kerrigan's "Claire Dolan" in the eerie "Ce Visage-Lˆ" and Eric Rohmer's lakeside frolics in "Sans-Façon".

"L'Entredeux" was recorded in Tucson, Arizona and mixed by Craig Schumacher. Other contributors include John Convertino (Calexico) on drums; Rob Burger (Tin Hat Trio) on piano, accordion, orchestron, cimbalom and organ; Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson) on harmonica; Naim Amor (composer of 3 of the album tracks) on guitar; and Sammy Decoster (Tornado).

Previously, Marianne has written lyrics for Howe Gelb (on Giant Sand's ".. Is All Over the Map"), Amor Belhom Duo (two albums on Carrot Top Records), Naim Amor (album "Mistake Love" produced by John Parish and "Sanguine" produced by Joey Burns, released on France's major indie label Atmosphériques), and Francoiz Breut. Her poetry has appeared in national and European magazines.