Search - Melody Gardot :: My One & Only Thrill

Intimate, enthralling, sophisticated. A new great jazz star

ippo77 | 04/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Melody Gardot released her first album, "Worrisome Heart", just last year and a thing of rare beauty it is.

But a year ago, much of the discussion about Melody Gardot centered on the way she'd recovered from a terrible road accident and had used music as a therapeutic lifeline.

She was an inspiration to people both in and out of music.

Now it seems that although she is at times still referring to her traumatic feelings of the tragic accident some 8 years ago, the confidence is evidently beaming out even more in this album.

This follow-up has a lot to live up to - and it succeeds.

This time Gardot has strings to swell her romantic sound, but her vocals are as beguilingly intimate as ever.

Now just 25-years-old, Melody has expanded on the rich jazz and blues influences of Worrisome Heart to create an intimate second offering : Melody has written all of the songs on the album (a stunning version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" is the only non-original tune).

Again she shows a flair for catchy, haunting melodies, poetic lyrics and sounds much more worldly wise than her young age would suggest.

This record mixes the more classic form of crossing Jazz and blues ("Baby I'm a fool/your heart is as black as night") with some almost suttle samba like beats (i.e. "Les Etoiles/who will comfort me").

If anything, her vocal breadth on this glossy follow-up is even broader. She has the confidence to tackle a bold interpretation of a standard like "Over the Rainbow" (here given a flightly Brazilian treatment). It is produced as an acoustic undertone along with settled and relaxed saxophone. The South American sound certainly gives the song a refreshing tone and all the components make for a stunning vocal performance from Gardot.

Her scat singing is thoroughly convincing, when it could easily stumble on the mountain of clichés that accompany the style, but it's her breathy, almost lisping tones that will be most likely to establish her as a voice to be reckoned with.

If comparisons must be drawn to Gardot's smooth and seemingly effortless vocal, no current artist makes the cut and it's the classy, sad voices of Julie London and Peggy Lee that echo through the years. The vocal-to-instrumentation audio dynamic is perfect throughout, thanks to the fantastic job and the subtle talent of the producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Madeleine Peyroux, Herbie Hancock...).

Kudos to the shimmering orchestral arrangements from Vince Mendoza.

"With a warm voice and a sensitive way with a song, Phildelphia's Gardot mixes jazz and R&B with elegant string arrangements and acoustic guitar to beguiling, small-hours effect". -Q (Magazine)

"Creative, imaginative and a daring approach to her music gives Gardot's second album a pleasant listen with many poignant moments on the way. And despite maybe jazz not being to everyone's taste, it's certainly worth sacrificing some of your time to endure 45 minutes of smooth and at times magic pieces of music". - Sean Wright.

My favourite tracks: "My One And Only Thrill", "If The Stars Wew Mine", "Les Etoiles", "Our Love Is Easy" and "Somewhere over the Rainbow".

Have a pleasant listening experience.

Update: the abum debuts at # 2 of the The Billboard Top Jazz Albums.

Issue date:2009-05-16

Worrisome Heart

Half the Perfect World

Bare Bones"

"Bigger" than Norah Jones?

Rick Cornell | Reno, Nv USA | 05/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Though not many agreed with me, I thought "Worrisome Heart" was the best disc of 2008, and one of the finest debut recordings in recent jazz history. I marvelled at Melody Gardot's heart and soul, and her ability to craft simultaneously simple and complex melodies.



But when someone starts off with something that good, then follows up with a sophomore release a year later, I worry. The last time I saw that happen was with Peter Cincotti, and the result wasn't good at all. I was worried: could the same thing happen to Melody Gardot?



Hints: the producer on this one is Larry Klein. The musical director is Kenneth Pendergrast. The strings were arranged and conducted by Vince Mendoza. The recording is mixed by Al Schmitt and mastered by Bernie Grundman. A "sophomore slump" is probably not possible with that lineup!



Though the disc sounds glorious, the glory enhances, rather than hides, the wonderful Melody Gardot. "Heart" was endearingly quirky; "Thrill" is lush.



"If the Stars Were Mine," track #2, is the catchy tune on this set, and for good measure she reprises it at set's end. And for good measure, Ms. Gardot does a French chanson, "Les Etoiles," that sandwiches the tune(s). These ought to be standards someday.



But they are far from the only delights on this album. Ms. Gardot displays a lot of heart and soul on the bluesy "Who Will Comfort Me" and "Your Heart is as Black as Night." And she swings whimsically on "Our Love Is Easy." The title track is haunting. And Melody Gardot wrote all of these songs. Except one:



There's one standard on this set, "Over the Rainbow." I counsel singers not to sing this song, since inviting comparisons to Judy Garland is generally a bad idea. But nothing in that counsel assumes a "country shuffle" version with a straightened out melody over the chord changes. This is the most anti-Garland version of the song ever - and I love it for that!



Recently, Jazz Times posited the question: could Melody Gardot end up as big as Norah Jones? Here's my answer: in a perfect world, bigger. In this world, let's just be thankful for her and pray that her health and her creativity stay with her for a long time, for our sake. This young artist is a gem. RC



p.s. -12/30/09: This and Jackie Ryan's "Doozy" are my favorite c.d.'s of 2009. Jazz Times agrees, in that their 3 top vocal jazz c.d.'s of 2009 are those two and Gretchen Parlato's "In a Dream." None of those 3 were nominated for a Grammy. Once again, "Boo!" to the N.A.R.A.! RC"

For relaxing after a stressful day or quiet moments alone

L. A. Ruffin | Annapolis, MD | 04/29/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Melody Gardot is an amazing artist, her voice is pure and filled with emotions. This selection of songs reminds me of listening to great live music in a New Orleans jazz club, where the room is cool, dark and seductive. Her back story on how she came to music is tragic, she was hit by a car while riding her bicycle. Music therapy was recommended as a way to rebuild her cognitive and physical abilities. Her first CD, Some Lessons - The Bedroom Sessions was a product of her therapy sessions.(By the way I also highly recommend that album which can be found at CD Baby.)



This CD is a magnificent change from overproduced vanilla pop. The songs that she wrote for this third album have a more sophisticated feel that won't alienate the listener. For those who said her previous album was simply one continuous song, I think you'll feel differently about My One and Only Thrill. Simply listen to her version of Over the Rainbow, Judy Garland made it sound hopeful, Eva Cassidy's rendition was wistful and Melody gives it Brazilian soul!! Melody's road to becoming a musician was painful and cruel but she shows how an artist can't be held back by physical or mental limitations. I'm looking forward to hearing more from this wonderful singer/songwriter.

"