Customer Reviews

Careless Love

5 star:		(124)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

How true! Musicians take a lifetime to prepare their first CD, then are expected to have an equally brilliant release in a few months. The process rarely works. Rarer is an artist so dedicated to quality that eight years passes between a highly acclaimed debut and sophmore CD. Even more unusual is the artist who scores perfectly both times, so far apart.

Then again, nobody with ears could call Madeleine Peyroux typical. She's a genuine gem amongst the clutter composing today's musical spectrum. Thank goodness she's faithful to her remarkable vocal stylings.

Talent aplenty, Ms. Peyroux's voice and delivery strike your memory in familiar ways. Comparison to world-famous blues and jazz females are tempting, perhaps justified. Nonetheless, Ms. Peyroux's never derivative but rather refreshingly comfortable in an all-new manner.

Ms. Peyroux also has smarts enough to work superb material. She easily intreprets standards by such great tunesmiths as Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, and W.C. Handy into her own repetoire. She ain't a bad writer herself.

Ms. Peyroux invested time wisely since her 1996 introduction. Hope we don't have to wait as long for her next CD, but surely I'm willing to if it takes that long for another perfect CD.

The title of the closing track precisely sums it all up: "This Is Heaven To Me!"

Madeleine Peyroux, just the name forecasts a feeling of the French, of someone who has lived life and knows how to sing about it. And, we listen to "Careless Love" and we realize we are listening to someone special who has an innate understanding of how to sing these songs. How can this be when Madeleine is in her late twenties and an American to boot? She is a special find and we intend to keep her.

Madeleine was born in Georgia, but grew up in Paris and New York. She got hooked on French culture and began to sing with street musicians. She learned her craft by listening to the greats and then singing the way she knew best. She was found in a small club in New York and was signed by a major record label.
She loves Billie Holliday, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Edith Piaf. She has a voice of her own, sometimes husky but always dreamy. Larry Klein produced this album, he is known for working with Joni Mitchell and Shawn Colvin, and once again has proved his worth.

The songs on this CD are glorious and each one has its own story.

"Dance Me To The End Of Love" is a love song found on Leonard Cohen's last CD. Great words and music.

`You're Gonna Make me Lonesome When You Go" is one of Bob Dylan's songs that brings back the image of love and loss.

"Don't Cry Baby and "Careless Love' were sung by Bessie Smith and reminds me of New Orleans and the jazz of life.

"No More" sung by Billie Holiday brings us the reminder of love and tragedy.

"Between the Bars" is a tribute to Elliott Smith and his remarkable songs and tragic life.

"Don't Wait Too Long" is an original song with Jesse Harris. Jesse Harris helped Norah Jones with her first successful album.

"J'ai Deux Amours" sung by Josephine Baker in her particular French drama.

"Weary Blues" sung by Hank Williams is a true country flavor.

"I'll Look Around" a Billie Holiday favorite.

"Lonesome Road" has a background of gospel and folk.


"This Is Heaven To Me" gives us a feeling of freedom and life.

Madeleine Peyroux will be a name to be reckoned with. Her voice and timing with her words and music brings us a fresh clear view of life. Wonderful CD and highly recommended. prisrob

As labels and critics search for someone to declare the "next Nora Jones", I'm surprised that few have turned to Madeleine Peyroux one of her precursors. The French expatriate Peryoux released her first album, Dreamland, on Atlantic Records in 1996. The cd was well promoted and ended up doing quite well for a jazz oriented release.

Ms. Peyroux didn't seek instant fame and promptly dropped out to spend the six years on a spiritual quest and to spend time with friends and family. To her credit, career amibition was not at the top of Madeleine's list of priorities...she had better things to do. Lucky for us, the venerable indie label, Rounder Records has enticed her back into the studio for another set of music and a cd that is getting the same kind of word of mouth praise that launched Nora Jones' career.

Those less educated in jazz idioms may compare her to Billie Holliday...her timbre and pitch are just very similar. Those with a nuanced ear will here strains of Edith Piaf, Josephine Baker, Peggy Lee and a host of other torch singers, even Joni Mitchell, who was one of Madeleine's producers for Careless Love.

One of the songs Peyroux interprets on the new CD was sung in 1940s Paris by another American-born artist, Josephine Baker. The sweet melody saluted bonds between America and France while expressing the bittersweet emotions of the expatriate.

Her takes on Elliott Smith's Between the Bars and Hank William's Weary Blues are superb,but her reading of Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" is so remarkable, you will find yourself replaying it over and over. She captures the ambivalence of the lyrics in a way Dylan never did. As much as I spun and respun the Dylan tune, I was in nirvana upon hearing Leonard Cohen's "Waltz Me To The End of Love", in which she fully renders the unblinking fatalism of Cohen's lyrics. Peyroux is to Cohen's music what Dionne Warwick was to Burt Bacharach's music... the definitive interpreter who sets the standard for all.

Singer Madeleine Peyroux moved to France at age 15. She honed her vocal talents on the streets of Paris, busking with groups with names like the Riverboat Shufflers and the Lost Wandering Blues and Jazz Band.


Madeleine's live shows have proven her to live up to the current hype. Her pronunciation so clear and the word nuances so well united with her use of facial expression, seeing her in person is really necessary for a full appreciation of her art. In performance she has the aura of a Parisian muse in the tradition of Jeanne Moreau or Isabelle Adjani. I hope very much that a live performance video will be spawned by the album so that her wider audience will have the joy of seeing all of this.

Madeleine, in her own quiet, unassuming way is as much bigger than life as any of her heroes. Though she's compared to "Lady Day" ; Billie Holliday is just a point of reference for Ms. Peyroux. You might as well be comparing the Rolling Stones to Chuck Berry, or Bob Dylan to Woody Guthrie. The similarities are there but dissipate very quickly upon hearing enough of her music.

"Careless Love" is one of the best releases of this year, and an enduring classic for any year. If you like jazzy female vocal stylists don't miss this one.

The first time you hear her you make the assumption: this is Billie Holiday in some glorious newly re-mastered recording you have never heard before. You're a little surprised when you're wrong and more than a little intrigued-this is Madeleine Peyroux. This fascinating and unique lady has a voice crafted by dedicated training and time as a child spent growing up between France and the United States. Her first album received high marks from critics, and the sophomore effort "Careless Love" (Rounder) is anything but a disappointment.
The opening track "Dance Me to the End of Love" is pure dreamy magic showcasing this amazing voice, with a light piano riff from Larry Goldings and David Pilch's baseline that make you want to move-an energizing and satisfying new dance piece. Three great smooth selections that are sure to ignite fans of swing or foxtrot with their intoxicating Creole bluesy flavor are "Don't Wait Too long," "Lonesome Road," and "Careless Love." Slightly more up-tempo pieces like "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" are also imminently satisfying. Madeleine Peyroux again establishes herself as a French chanteuse on the level of Blossom Dearie with "J'ai Deux Amours."
Despite the album's title, there is nothing careless in this recording. Producer Larry Klein has outdone himself in assembling a solidly packaged showcase for a voice that is hauntingly familiar and strikingly new all at the same time. Madeleine Peyroux takes us all the way to the end of love and beyond.

I bought recently this album and I must say that it was a very refreshing discovery. Madeleine has a very beautiful voice that seems to come out of her effortlessly. Without a doubt this album should be one of the new classics in the Vocal front, competing favorabily with some of the new talents like Norah Jones and Diana Krall as well as the all time Jazz classics.

The music is a combination of soft jazz with very nice piano and trumpet arrangements that serve as a elegant and powerful backdrop for madeleine's remarkable vocal capabilities. If you want to go and try a couple of songs, I recomend you to listen to "Dance me to the end of Love" and "You are going to make me Lonesome when you Go", these two will give you a very good idea of what to expect in the album.

Easily one of the best vocal releases of 2004.

I stumbled on Madeleine Peyroux quite by accident, a friend told me about this cover version of Cohen's Dance me...
I wasn't prepared for what I was about to hear, it felt like hearing Billie Holiday singing, again. I was totally taken in and captivated by her voice. Oh I know one shouldn't compare singers, but she can surely stand on her own. A wonderful album, if it took eight years from her debut to make this one, I'll gladly wait eight more for the next, if the result comes anywhere near this. And to those of you that feel Jazz is not yer cup of tea, forget Jazz, this is music at it's best.
Her name is Madeleine Peyroux, and boy does she know how to carry a tune, to make it hers.

The frequent comparison of Madeleine Peyroux's to Billie Holiday is unfair to both. First, because her talent extends beyond superficial mimicry, and second, because Peyroux's singing is comparable to so many other singers. As described below, I hear the sounds of Edith Piaf, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, and Dinah Shore, and, to a lesser extent, Lauren Bacall and the elongated notes of k.d. lang. Peyroux shares some tonal similarities with Holiday, along with her famous high-low note bend. But Peyroux can't (and won't) rely on her Holiday-inspired sounds too much, or else she'd become an "act." Even David Sedaris does a great "Billy Holiday"--it's right on the money--but no one hails him as the next Lady Day. (Holiday's bent note is not what makes her arguably the greatest jazz singer ever: She had unique, perfect phrasing, and a potent tonality that mixes vulnerability, hurt, perseverance, and sexuality. Sometimes we can hear her entire life's progression in just a few phrases.)
Peyroux is not strictly a "jazz singer" anyway, she blends in pop and the sound of the French troubadors.

"Dance Me to the End of Love" (Leonard Cohen) is a great opener. She gives it a Django Reinhardt treatment, with an unusual jazz rhythm and raggedy instrumentals. (Peyroux has excellent accompaniment throughout the CD.) She swings the song with a slight teasing quality, but doesn't forget the melancholy. Peyroux's soft, slippery voice (with her low nasally tones and vocal drop-offs) are effective, but her strength is playing her cool voice off the jangly background. Towards the end, however, the effects are a bit forced. A muted trumpet might have improved `Dance Me'; still, it's one of her strongest performances. The arrangement recalls "To Have and Have Not, " with Lauren Bacall accompanying Hoagy Carmichael's piano.

Peyroux's sole composition, "Don't Wait Too Long," is also excellent. The lyrics urge people to take chances--good advice for Peyroux herself. She's at her best when going for her own sound. Peyroux is more playful and looser on this track. I love how she pronounces "learn" as "loin," a la John Fogarty. The gritty keyboards and sweet guitar solo raise this number above many of her contemporaries' efforts. "Don't Cry Baby" offers a roots sound, recorded like it's coming out of a 1930's Zenith. Still, there's a little too much Holiday. We need more sass and less sanctimony, more brass and less whining. At the break, the musicians introduce a bright piano solo that interplays with the organ. However, this is played too much as a "novelty" number; you don't feel the song so much as notice it. That's one area where Peyrouz could grow; another is her disengagement from the lyrics. Speaking of which, what were she and her producers thinking on Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You're Gone?" Sure, she's got the phrasing of Armstrong, and the clear sound and tones of Joni Mitchell and Dinah Shore, but nothing about the singing captures the lyrics. It's modernized and sanitized. The happy "just smile cause I'll be fine" attitude is unconvincing; it all sounds like a coffee ad.

On "Between the Bars," Peyroux sings some great Marilyn Monroe head tones, with the orchestration and pace of later-day k.d. lang. Happily, this sometimes ponderously slow number is a short one. The next song is forgettable. It's like a mix of all her other songs, homogenized beyond recognition, and then--the coup de grace--a Billie Holiday bend.

"Lonesome Road" benefits from a Hawaiian guitar and organ, but this potentially excellent vehicle is derailed by Peyroux's languorous style--she respects the song too much. If she's not going to sing it loud, then she at least needs to hold more tension in her voice. Although she acquits herself well here, she doesn't take the chances that the musicians do. "Deux Amours" (hey, quelle accent!) needs more guitar and banjo, but her voice is beautiful and lulling, and she has an Edith Piaf trill. "Weary Blues" recalls "Summertime" and Lena Horne. Once again, Peyroux's untroubled delivery doesn't match the heartbreak of the lyrics. In contrast, her approach fits the music on "I'll Look Around," and makes it one of her best songs.

Summary
Peyroux is best when her singing matches the musical and lyrical tone, when she doesn't always sing it "straight," and when she lets the musicians complement her. She tends to play it safe. For example, track 12 could have been transformed into a great campy song (especially with those ding-dong background chimes and syrupy 30's arrangement); instead, it's once again a showcase for her voice. If she can be less precious and more giving (e.g., she needs more abandon against the gospel background of track 11), and if she doesn't rely quite as much on her signature insouciance, Madeleine Peyroux could be one of the most talented jazz/pop singers around.

I think that I am very blessed to have become familiar with Madeleine Peyroux's music at first hand during the time she spent in Nashville. Seeing her work in the romantic, dimly lit, "Blues Hideaway," sitting beside the actor Mongo, as she sang, was almost like stepping into a motion picture and an impressive and compelling one.Her delivery is so seemingly effortless. Her pronunciation so clear and the word nuances so well united with her use of facial expression ,that marvelous as a recording of hers is , seeing her in person is really necessary for a full appreciation of her art.I hope very much that a video will be spawned by the album so that her wider audience will have the joy of seeing all of this. As usual her choices of material are eclectic , Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith,Leonard Cohen, Her own ,well crafted "Don't wait too long". Madeleine, in her own quiet, unassuming way is as much bigger than life as any of her heroes. She is often compared to "Lady Day' but in actuality she uses the styles and word usages of Holiday and Piaf and others as a painter uses rich colors for the exact desired effect. She might as easily be compared to Vermeer. And succeeds in the same , highly finished way, that he did with his art. Bravo, Madeleine! And world, "Don't wait too long " to buy this album. Masterpieces increase in value. J. Geoffrey Jones

I decided to write here an unusual sort of review because of what happened to me related to this CD.

I usually go to local Barnes & Noble with a laptop to work while having a drink. Sometimes I wear earphones to enjoy the music I bring, sometimes I listen to the store's ambient music, which happens to be very nice most of the time.

One of those days I'm there working, and I realize they are playing a very nice warm voice, a female singer that I can't recognize, singing something Jazzy with the word "Lonesome" in the lyrics. I didn't pay much attention to the lyrics but just the warm and smooth sweet voice, really very pleasant, so smoothly flowing. The style and voice sounded somewhat similar to, or reminded me of Tierney Sutton, but this was a bit warmer and softer, and it wasn't Tierney for sure. Also somewhat resembling Billie Holiday, but not her either for sure. Neither she was Jacqui Naylor, who can also sound a bit like Holiday, but her voice I can recognize in a millisecond. Anyway, I went back to working on the laptop while listening to this magnificent voice in the background. Unfortunately I didn't worry about asking what CD they were playing or what the singer was... Very unfortunately.

Couple of days later I'm listening to music at night at home, and I suddenly feel this craving in my ear for that sweet voice singing that particular song. That happens to me frequently, and this one was a particularly powerful craving. But alas! This time I had no true idea who the singer was. In fact, I had very little hope on how to find who she was.

First I started a search for lyrics with the word "lonesome", couldn't find anything with lyrics that read like that song. I started to think that probably I had misheard the word. (Take into account, I'm not a native English speaker, and also I really didn't pay detailed attention to the lyrics when hearing her voice in the bookstore. To me I remembered something like "lonesome anymore" in the song, but wasn't sure). In any case, the lyrics search proved unsuccessful.

Went to Amazon and started searching for Jazz singers to sample voices I'm not familiar with, and zero results too. I realize I was buried into quite a problem of information retrieval: to try to find a voice you heard, but you don't know the singer's name, or the song's title, nor even the lyrics, no CD cover. Just (hopefully) one correct word in the lyrics, "lonesome", and that voice in your memory...

Went to the local B&N the next day and started a systematic search through the whole Jazz racks of CD's trying all female singer's CD's in the sampling stations where you can hear them with headphones, but didn't find the voice. Because of this search I ended up discovering Jane Monheit, which I also liked a lot, and got her latest CD. But still, the mysterious voice I was looking for was out of my grasp.

Believe it or not, this search lasted more than two months, and through all that time, I wasn't lucky enough to have that song on the radio, or again on the ambient music of B&N or any other bookstore, or anywhere that I could ask what was being played.

Just yesterday I was browsing Amazon.com and clicked on one of those recommendations they give you. I wasn't even thinking about my "voice search" at the moment, when I realize one of the songs in the CD was entitled "You're gonna make me lonesome when you go"... Suddenly my entire consciousness woke up and tunneled onto every letter on that sentence. It sounded an aweful lot exactly like what I think the song I remembered said. I clicked on the "Listen" link, and oh goodness gracious what a miracle... there she was!!!!!!!!!....

It was this very CD you are reading reviews about, "Careless Love", by Madeleine Peyroux, and again the song's title "You're gonna make me lonesome when you go". My highest recommendations to this gorgeous and pleasant voice and singing.

Madeline Peyroux is a jazz vocalist, who on this first rate mostly acoustic disc covers Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and others, while sounding like a soulful Billie Holliday. The BH comparison is a bit obvious, perhaps, but Peyroux shares Holliday's wonderful vocal warmth and the modern recording techniques of course only improve things. Peyroux makes all of these songs sound like standards, which is a feat....The musicians who play on the disc are brilliantly offhand, I'll mention Dean Parks (guitar), Larry Goldings (keys), and Jay Bellerose (drums) ....perfect for a summer afternoon

It's an incredibly strong disc top to bottom, my favorite tracks are "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome" , "Between the Bars", and "Careless Love"....highly recommended