Melody Gardot: Worrisome Heart
Friday, 15 Feb 2008 11:57
Melody Gardot unleashes her smooth and silky debut album.
Out now, UCJ.
In a nutshell
Sultry, smooth and seriously sexy songs
What's it all about?
Jazz and soul fans seeking fresh talent and mainstream music fans looking for a more chilled out sound in 2008 should look to the first full-length album from Melody Gardot. Worrisome Heart sings of love and loss to the beat of lazy summer evenings, with Gardot's sultry vocals slipping their way effortlessly through the tracks.
The original tunes were co-produced by Gardot and Grammy award-winning producer Glenn Barratt. Smooth numbers telling of loss and broken hearts are interspersed with more upbeat tracks, lifting the album from becoming melancholic or tedious.
While being distinct in its own gravely, sophisticated tones, Gardot's voice is laced with echoes of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald as well as the modern tones of Madeleine Peyroux and Norah Jones.
Worrisome Heart is the perfect backdrop to a number of settings; lazy dinner parties, afternoons and evenings relaxing with friends and kicking back with a glass of wine after a hard day in the office.
To watch Melody Gardot previewing material from her new album, click here
Who's it by?
Worrisome Heart is the first full length album from Melody Gardot, an unexpected star whose talent emerged after an accident at the age of 19 left her bedridden with little to do but channel her thoughts and feelings into music.
A physician tending to Gardot believed music would help her regain some of her cognitive abilities, leading to her first EP created at her bedside, Some Lessons.
"It was a most unusual start but when you come from a place where things are tough it makes it that much easier to appreciate the times when life is easy," she commented.
Gardot has received a warm reception from American audiences - with the City Paper Philadelphia giving her a people's choice award - and is now seeking to crack the UK.
As an example
"Love me like the Earth itself spins around/Love me like the Earth itself - sky above and ground below/Baby don't rush - you're no waterfall/Love me, that is all." - Love Me Like a River Does
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
The lyrics and melodies are certainly award-worthy and it would come as no surprise if Gardot was nominated for best jazz vocal album at some point in her career.
What the others say
"Buy this album because it's a charming debut by a remarkable talent." - Times
"The music on her new album, Worrisome Heart, will speak for itself, with its enticing mix of blues, jazz and the occasional eruption of steamy, erotic longing. Gardot displays a rare knack for imbuing music that can sound false or cliched in lesser hands with a shivery sense of intimacy, as though she sneaked up behind you to blow in your ear." - Telegraph
So is it any good?
Worrisome Heart is a sophisticated and highly impressive debut. For those looking for chilled-out songs with clever lyrics, a zesty punch and a fresh sound, it is hard to see how this album would fail.
Tracks including Love Me Like a River Does, Some Lessons and Gone will linger after first hearing the album and repeated plays bring a slow appreciation of the subtleties and complexities of each song.
In a somewhat bland era of female singer-songwriters, Gardot's appearance on the scene is more than welcome and her name is likely to become a permanent addition - a justified achievement given the strength of her voice and her writing talent.
8/10
Carolyn Robertson
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