Careless Love

Performer: Madeleine Peyroux
Artist: Larry Goldings
Engineer: Helik Hadar; Helik Hadar
Producer: Larry Klein; Larry Klein
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Madeleine Peyroux (vocals, acoustic guitar); Madeleine Peyroux; Larry Goldings (piano, celesta, Wurlitzer piano, Hammond b-3 organ, pump organ, Wurlitzer organ); David Piltch (bass instrument); Jay Bellerose (drums, percussion); Dean Parks (guitar); Lee Thornburg (trumpet); Scott Amendola (percussion). Audio Mixer: Helix Hadar. Liner Note Author: Madeleine Peyroux. Recording information: Market Street, Venice, Italy; Paramount Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA. Author: Dylan Thomas. Photographer: Andrew MacNaughtan. Madeleine Peyroux's unique blend of jazz and pop was first unveiled on 1996's DREAMLAND, where she sounded like a postmodern heir to the smoky-voiced tradition that ran down from Billie Holiday through the likes of Karen Dalton and Judy Roderick. Though Peyroux made a splash with her debut, she quickly dropped out of the music scene, not to appear again until eight years later with the long-overdue follow-up, CARELESS LOVE. Here, Peyroux tackles material from a variety of sources; some songs were written expressly for her by such contemporary songsmiths as Jesse Harris (who penned Norah Jones's breakthrough hit, "Don't Know Why"). Perhaps most striking, though, are her interpretations of older compositions. Peyroux redefines the darkly yearning Leonard Cohen tune "Dance Me to the End of Love" as a sultry invitation rather than a heart-on-the-sleeve plea. Her lighter-than-air stroll through the clouds of Bob Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" has a graceful ease that puts the song's many previous cover versions to shame. Throughout CARELESS LOVE, Peyroux--with highly sympathetic production from Joni Mitchell right-hand-man Larry Klein--proves fully up to the task of redefining the role of torch singer for the careworn 21st century.

Entertainment Weekly (p.67) - "Highlighting the singer's sultry, heavy-lidded delivery....In her capable hands, jazz crossover gets a good name." - Grade: A- Uncut (p.111) - 3 stars out of 5 - "CARELESS LOVE has the same live-in-the-studio ambience that made Peggy Lee's BLACK COFFEE a benchmark album." CMJ (p.45) - "Peyroux is a great singer and not just because her phrasing would make Billie Holiday weep, but because she's clearly focused on showing off the emotional guts of the song more than her own vocal talent." Down Beat (p.68) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "Peyroux draws from a wide-ranging palette of styles....She has the chops to go far." Mojo (Publisher) (p.97) - 4 stars out of 5 - "With a dry, present production by Larry Klein and subtle support from a starry acoustic band, CARELESS LOVE is gorgeous..."

Madeleine Peyroux is helping to keep classic jazz vocals alive in the new millennium, and while her voice and delivery owe a supreme debt to the legendary Billie Holiday, Peyroux puts her own hip spin on Lady Day's musical tradition. As much an American version of Edith Piaf as a straight jazz singer, Peyroux interprets sorrowful songs by a host of artists across all genres, undauntedly tackling everything from "Careless Love" and "Lovesick Blues" to Leonard Cohen and Elliott Smith. She released her fourth full-length, HALF THE PERFECT WORLD, in 2006.

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