Ok now that Rounder has released Careless Love what do people think about it?

    Again I feel completely taken away by Madeleine.   I have so much looked forward to the day when she released a second album and this September has been lovely because of Careless Love.    I have never been as captivated by the heartfelt sound of blues as I am with her voice.   Yes it is true, she seems to channel Billy and Bessie with clairvoyance. . .  but beyond that she transcends in her performance and becomes the songs that she so beautifully projects and vocalizes. 

    Congratulations Madeleine Peyroux on a successfull new album and thank you for bringing so much joy to my heart! 

The song Dance Me to the End of Love is on a repeated rotation on the largest classic rock (!) station here in San Francisco.  It's terrific.  The DJ's love it too.  I rushed to get it on iTunes for my iPod and took the time to listen to the clip Don't Wait Too Long, which is also wonderful, and downloaded that.  It was like having a "Nora Jones" moment...terrric cross-over jazz tracks.  I'm sure Dance Me will be a great hit single.  A hip Bille Holiday-esque tone with 21st century sensibilities.  Will look for more soon.

Here in Boston it's a beautiful fall Sunday morning and as I search through the FM dial I hear a voice...Billie Holiday? I listen a bit more and it's an NPR interview with Madeleine Peyroux. I instantly loved her voice and style. But what startled me was when she mentioned Elliott Smith ! I'm a 47 year old guy (originally from Montreal) and have traveled the World listening to all styles of music... all genres... I play old acoustic Country Blues myself and I find Elliott Smith was the most brilliant singer/songwriter of our time... also perhaps still undiscovered by many. To hear Madeleine mention him instantly made me appreciate her even more. I've been a fan of Elliott's since the first time I saw him in a little dingy bar in Seattle around 1996. I have much of his unreleased material which I would love to share with Madeleine... it is brilliant material... I feel it's better and more significant than his released material. Btw, his family has put out his last CD coming out this October (Songs from a Basement on a Hill).  

I'm looking forward to getting Careless Love.

- M. Ledoux

Tonight is a watermark moment for me, someone's seared an indelible tattoo of roses upon my soul, and all through song. 

I was in Barnes & Noble reading the early poems of Yeats tonight when they began to play what sounded like an old jazz standard from the early 1940's. Surely this was Billie Holiday, and a tune I hadn't heard before. 

The voice embraced you with a very warm but light touch, the throat of swans lilting over waters in blue melancholy, a voice that had all the direction of an easy breeze on a porch swing, all the romance and the charm of such a scene.  It was the first track to Careless Love.

I continued reading, enjoying the music for a while until a song just wooed me away from Yeat's poem to his Beloved.  The song was "You're gonna make me lonesome when you go." 

By this point I had already realized that it wasn't Billie Holiday--but the production had all the coziness of mid-twentieth century sound, this voice was so relaxed, perhaps coming from a better time because just about any voice nowadays--political or musical--seems rabid or forced or partisan or shrill, at least in comparison to what I was now hearing on this record.

Norah Jones is a great singer among others, but I was hearing something different with Madeleine--I heard master craftsmanship, I heard dedication and talent and experience that declared itself at the top of its form, a delivery that had so much distinction and merit that the voice was in a class by itself.

I immediately got up and went to the Music section of the store to find out the artist.  I had never heard of Madeleine Peyroux before, but, say like in the first moments when you eye a woman and you know you're gonna fall in love and there's nothing you can really do about it except calmy take the whims of fate and hope the brief moment won't be the last, I knew after listening to Madeleine Peyroux this was only the beginning of a new source of great song and melody.  Rarely does one get to find a new singer of this caliber.

The record also has two of my favorite songwriters represented: Leonard Cohen and Hank Williams (and of course Dylan's lovely tune).

As a singer/songwriter myself who's spent the last year and a half writing, recording almost every track, and producing my own album, American Gothic, I could say I was in shock with myself to find I hadn't heard of her earlier CD, Dreamland, from 8 years ago.

Influences in my own work and some of the people I truly admire are: Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Van Morrison, Lou Reed, Jim Morrison, Randy Newman, Elvis Costello, Chrissie Hynde, Leo Kottke, Joe Ely, David Gray, Nick Lowe, The Jayhawks.  I think Madeleine Peyroux is of the same high standard and talent.

After hearing just five tracks of Careless Love, I said to myself, I hope she and this record win several Grammys.  Thank you, Madeleine, for your devotion to your craft.

I saw Madeleine perform at Yoshi's in Oakland tonight.  Yoshi's is a nice venue, but they always have the artists do two shows in one night (8pm and 10pm).  Unfortunately, this does not always make for a smooth transition between letting out the first group and letting in the second group.  She only played for an hour, but I'm not complaining though - the show was great.  It's always so wonderful to find an artist who sounds even better live, and Madeleine definitely falls into that category.

On a girlie note, Madeleine was wearing the same outfit seen in the pictures from http://www.madeleinepeyroux.org/gallery2.asp?directory=gallery/20040923LeJazzAuBar - Le Jazz Au Bar .  I only mention this because I love the shirt.  Normally I'm not a fan of brown pants (five years of Catholic school where we were only allowed to wear pants when it snowed, and brown pants at that, scarred me for life!), but I was willing to make an exception.

Thanks to lorilynn55 for the warning about the CD prices at the show.  I was going to wait and buy mine there, but after hearing they were $20 I decided to buy it at the local record store instead.  I was disappointed that they didn't have any copies of Got You on My Mind though.

Some of the songs from tonight's set list:

Dance Me to the End of Love

Don't Wait Too Long

You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go

Between the Bars

J'ai Deux Amours

Weary Blues

Lonesome Road

Walkin' After Midnight

I'll Look Around

Careless Love

Spreading Around

This Is Heaven to Me

I first heard this voice while sitting in a remote farm house in Vermont - 3 feet of snow outside th huge panoramic window - at breakfast - we were visiting friends who ran a very nice "Inn" in Brarnard. Its not often I relax, but when I heard the voice I knew it would not be the last time - especailly as we bought Dreamland straight away -

So now there is Careless Love - what should I do? - wait until I have heard Madeleine at PizzaExpress on the 14th Nov or buy it now -

Think I will wait -

George

we arrived a bit late, but having booked were escorted to a table about 4 ft from the hammond organ. It was all a bit strange at first as clearly a lot of people didint know what she looked like. Arrived on stage and at last some applause.

Stunning is the only way to describe her voice. I thought she might have been a bit nervous, and I dont think that people eating their pizza a few feet away helped. But she performed beautifully.

I think that one day I will be able to say "we were there on that famous night"

Need to see where she is singing again soon

Stuart

Ok now that Rounder has released Careless Love what do people think about it?

WOW. It's all I can say. Madeleine makes me want to buy records again! (or itunes)

fantastic. cannot get enough of her voice!!

I have just discovered Ms Peyroux!!  Careless Love is my first listen to her....what a hauntingly fantastic voice.  I am thrilled to have found her. 

I only wish she had a Florida city on her tour....or at least the Southeast on the schedule.

What a find indeed!

Here's a link to an interview she gave in London recently while she was there for a concert:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1181-1364651,00.html - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1181-1364651,00.html

I recently found out about Madeleine, and after I finished my holiday shopping, I bought "Careless Love."

It's been a long, long time since I've felt so excited over a new album--in any genre.  How can anyone have a voice that's so haunting, engaging and all her own, all at once?  The album's tracks have replayed almost nonstop in my head since I got the CD.

I've also got to love anyone who can deliver a line like "Sometimes you've got to lose it all before you find your way."  It is the absolute truth.  I know:  I'm a transgender woman, and that is the story of my transformation.