France may be dullsville as a natural source of rock & roll, but there's no better accent for breezy pop music than a melodious French lilt. Apartment Life, the second album by Ivy – a New York trio that shares bassist and composer Adam Schlesinger with Fountains of Wayne – presents a delightful line of vintage originals smartly modeled by alluring singer Dominique Durand. The casual sophisticate glides calmly through the emotional rubble of "I Get the Message," "Never Do That Again" and "You Don't Know Anything." Deftly garnishing top-shelf songs with horns and keyboards, on Apartment Life, Ivy put the fizz in cocktail culture. (RS 771)

IRA ROBBINS