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*** Hart Rouge

BEAUPRÉ'S HOME

(Red House)

The Canadian roots-pop quintet make their US debut with a disc boasting three lead voices singing in four different languages. The group's founding siblings -- Suzanne, Michelle, and Paul Campagne -- grew up in a French-speaking Saskatchewan town, where they apparently learned to rise above French-English conflicts. So you hear both languages on the CD's bilingual opener, "Destination," which features intuitive harmonies from Suzanne and Michelle backed only by light percussion. Wise to the worth of silence amid singing, throaty alto Suzanne warmly caresses Nanci Griffith's "Love at the Five and Dime." There's also a nice cover of Zack Richard's "Sunset on Louisianne," a sad, subtle song about how industry brings jobs even as it destroys the bayou ecosystem. And clear soprano Michelle shines on an exotic a cappella Native American chant from Canada's Mic Mac people.

-- Bruce Sylvester

(Hart Rouge perform at the Newport Folk Festival this Friday, August 8, at the Hotel Viking in Rhode Island. Call 931-2000 for tickets and 401-847-3700 for information.)