Pretty and Paper-Thin

** 1/2 “HOPE IN A DARKENED HEART.” Virginia Astley. Geffen. Wispy seems to be the word that best defines this English singer/songwriter--all of her, from wispy blonde hair and thin, pretty face to wispy singing of twee (as the Brits say) songs with oh-so-soft accompaniment. Since her first musical efforts in 1980, Astley has shyly shuffled her way into minor U.K. stardom with several albums, but this is her first American release. Take any one of the nine songs here and Astley seems quite charming. Maybe even two--especially if one of the two is “Some Small Hope,” an old-school-hymn-type tune where she’s joined by that old smoothie David Sylvian. Take more and Astley’s style begins to cloy. The unrelentingly paper-thin vocals, nursery-rhyme singsong style, Pollyanna lyrics and atmospheric but unvarying synthesizer background--provided by the ubiquitous Ryuichi Sakamoto on all but one of the tracks--form a paradox: gentleness that gets on your nerves. Still, it’s different , and pleasant in small doses.