Customer Reviews

Worrisome Heart

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The 23 year old Philadelphian turned to music while recovering from a horrific accident and her recovery process led to a new career.
Before the accident she'd already been working part-time as a lounge pianist to help fund her studies, playing tunes by Duke Ellington or Billy Joel against a hubbub of hecklers and clinking glasses, and one of her doctors said she should try music-making as part of her recovery process.
The recordings she made in a wheelchair at her hospital bedside were eventually released in 2005 as "Some Lessons - The Bedroom Sessions".
Picked up by the same DJ who discovered Norah Jones, Melody started gaining acclaim and signed to Universal/Verve.
Well, if you liked Norah Jones and Madeleine Peyroux's beguiling mix of jazz, blues, country and folk, then check out this young singer-songwriter-guitarist, whose voice is purer than Peyroux's but just as characterful and charming.
"Worrisome Heart" will appeal to anybody fond of Norah Jones or Madeleine Peyroux, though its understated bluesiness also seems to reach further back to the heyday of vintage American songwriting.
She displays a rare knack for imbuing music that can sound false or clichéd in lesser hands with a shivery sense of intimacy, as though she sneaked up behind you to blow in your ear. She looks the part, too, smiling quizzically from behind a Veronica Lake peek-a-boo hairstyle. Add a penchant for crimson shoes and lipstick and fishnet tights, and you have the kind of dame who'd know how to keep Humphrey Bogart in his place.
It is extremely sexy and intimate - listen no further than the title track or the groovy "Goodnite'" - and on swinging numbers, such as "All I Need Is Love", it has the bounce and ebullience of a young Billie Holiday.
It's also true that tracks like "Sweet Memory" and "Goodnite" have similarities to Norah Jones' standards but unsurprisingly this survivor also has an edge.
A rising star of the modern jazz scene, this album has 10 songs which evoke nights in dark, intimate clubs before smoking was banned.
This album deserves to have the same cultish success as Peyroux's Careless Love and Jones' "Come Away With me".
It's quality stuff and ideal for turning the lights down low to and allowing you to sink into the mellow, seductive sounds of Melody.

Some Lessons -The Bedroom Sessions
Careless Love
Come Away with Me
The Reminder

All I need say about this album is, if you love a soothing, sultry voice and are looking for something a little bit different and unpredictable, this is the album for you. My two top tracks are the title track and 'Love me like a river does', which never fails to get those goosebumps going.

At twenty-three, singer-songwriter Melody Gardot has a hauntingly beautiful, silky voice that can melt event the hardest of hearts.
Drenched in a sublime vapour of mellow blues, eclectic folk and above all jazz, 'Worrisome Heart' is a ten-track collection of original songs co-produced by Melody Gardot and Grammy Award winning producer Glenn Barratt.
With a superb narrative, nuanced phrasing and skillfully constructed arrangements, this is a rare and unique album.
Echoes of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald belie her jazz heritage, whilst the lyrics communicate a wise, determined and occasionally lighthearted take on life.
What's more, these fragile tales of love are all self-penned.
Backed by the some of the finest musicians on the American jazz scene, she has already drawn rave reviews everywhere.
Melody, who is just 23, manages to sound wise beyond her years without sounding foolish.
She combines old school jazz with fresh and original self penned lyrics - no rehashing covers for this songbird.
The album opens smooth and mellow with the title track, "Worrisome Heart", where she asks for love, eccentricities and all. Moving into the lighter, upbeat "All That I Need Is Love", she reprimands the male species for being oblivious to a woman's finer needs.
Her songs flow in this manner through the rest of the album, with gems such as the Cole Porter-esque "Love Me Like A River", the seductive "Quiet Fire", and the sentimental, optimistic "One Day".
Her resulting inner steel cuts through best in top tracks "Worrisome Heart" and "Love Me Like A River Does", lifting them above standard dreamy jazz classics.
On the album's title track, she calls herself a "worrisome, troubling, baggage free, modern day dame, ain't nobody the same".
She's right there. Meanwhile "Love Me Like A River Does" stands out for its simple yet devastating lines such as: "Baby don't rush, you're no waterfall - love me that is all".
The tunes are understated and simple yet when paired with her strong, clear voice, the mix is intoxicating.
Her warm, broken phrasing and the band's close backing put one in mind of Ella Fitzgerald's work with Johnny Mercer.
This isn't an album that blows you away. It sneaks up on you.
Norah Jones and Madeleine Peyroux have some serious competition on their hands.

First of all, what an interesting story - a girl gets hit by a car, develops a sensitivity to light and sound, and finds music therapy as a way to deal with her injuries. What she finds is a voice that sounds like she is literally singing 6" from your ear and singing directly to you. Her voice is very fresh and different from what you hear on radio. It's smoky, delicate, pitch perfect, wobbly and beautiful.

There are 5 songs on this CD that stand up to anything I've ever ever heard. They are "Gone", "Sweet Memory", "Some Lessons", "One Day" and the oh-my-gosh I can't believe how incredible this song is "Love Me Like A River Does". That song will knock you out. Period. As one reviewer put it "It's the sexy song I've ever heard" - ditto.

Buy this CD. Do not download it. You might end up tucking it under your pillow at night or spooning it.

This might be one the best set of tracks I've listened to this year. The performance and production are as polished and clean as you could hope for, and the delivery so genuine and soulful you can almost smell the smoke and martinis. This makes a great gift for anyone who appreciates jazz or blues.

I am really enjoying this new album & artist. Very mellow and smoky like Norah Jones -- but I definitely get moments of Madeleine Peyroux and the occasional Eva Cassidy, as well. (All top-notch singers in my book!) I look forward to seeing more from this artist in the future!

At first, I thought "Who is this woman?". I had to own her album! I bought it and then I thought her style was way too much like Peggy Lee for my liking. The longer I listened, the more relaxed and soothed I felt. Now her music just haunts me. The sensation is as unique as is her music. She is what legends are made of.

Worrisome Heart is the first full length studio CD from Melody Gardot. It is a smoky and mellow mix of jazz and folk that one should enjoy slowly as repetition leads to depth of appreciation and understanding. Melancholy runs deeply through this short collection of songs. While one might expect this from a young artist who survived being hit by a car while riding her bicycle, her torment on Worrisome Heart comes from another, but common, source. Even the song titles themselves suggest that the primary source of her pain is from love gone wrong in one way or another. Whether she pines for someone to take things slowly as in "Love Me Like A River Does" ("Baby don't rush/You're no waterfall") or the love from which she is separated on "Sweet Memories" ("Pretty soon I'll want the real thing instead/But for now I've got this sweet memory"). Gardot lyrically wears her heart(aches) on her sleeve.

Yet these don't come of as a simple collection of poor me drivel. Gardot has a vocal delivery somewhere between Diana Krall and Norah Jones, and she even mixes in scat singing on a few tracks. Her producer, Glenn Barratt, did a wonderful job of setting Worrisome Heart against a rich and varied instrumental backdrop. "Worrisome Heart" and "Love Me Like A River Does" both feature muted trumpet while the slightly upbeat "All That I Need Is Love" is set against a flowing clarinet line. Other songs such as "Gone" and " Sweet Memory" feature strings and/or guitar.

When you add it all up, you have a very musically mature sounding CD from a new artist. While you won't likely find yourself dancing to or uplifted by Worrisome Heart, it is still a very fulfilling musical experience. It is perfect for unwinding and relaxing after a stressful day. As you see the beauty that Gardot makes of her own troubles, you will find your own to be somewhat lighter as well.

Heard Melody via Pandora. Heard a couple of songs, and really enjoyed her earthy voice and soft sound. This CD does not disappoint. She is great. Reminds me of the 60's Bosa Nova sound of Astrud Gilberto. Melody has a great voice and beautiful music. I love both CDs.

This recording was released 2 years after Melody Gardot suffered near fatal automobile accident, the differently able Gardot triumphing in accomplishing what many others, including her, could only dream of. This project has her singing and playing guitar and a little piano, but more so presenting this project of all original material. She definitely walks a fine line between jazz and folk but her voice is rich and full of nuances that suck you into her stories. This is a must have for any music lover.