AS my grasp of Italian only extends to saying "yes" "no" and "more spaghetti please", this was a difficult record to judge with any authority.

French chill-out duo Air have teamed up with Turin-born author Alessandro Barrico to provide musical accompaniment to his novel, City. Always looking to try out something different, they first collaborated with him at a reading in Rome, before taking the idea into the studio. Read entirely in Barrico's native tongue, unless fluent in the language you won't understand a word. Apparently the stories are westerns and relate to a young woman called Shatzy? Nevertheless, the record is gently soothing, with the author's soft voice accompanied by some wonderful acoustic guitar playing and exotic soundscapes. At nearly an hour in length, playing it right through is not recommended as Barrico starts to sound like an Italian airport announcer. But what better way to learn a language?

Updated: 10:02 Thursday, April 24, 2003