In terms of a very intimate and endearing sound, Melody Gardot seems comparable to my ears to the late French chanteuse Edith Piaf. It is a sound that forces us to really concentrate in on the lyric
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In the acknowledgments within this new (second) full-length CD, Philadelphia resident Gardot even describes her music as “the soundtrack to my life” – a life in which she is a survivor of great health challenges caused by an accident five years ago with the then-19-year-old was struck by an SUV while riding her bicycle. She sings beautifully and intimately about what she has called “the beauty of impermanence and the art of gradual, sensual and universal embrace.”
As you listen to the songs, you’ll also discover on My One and Only Thrill that she is a poet of the first order, telling emotional short stories with great impact. Her first album, Worrisome Heart, which made several 2008 Top 10 lists (including my own), featured Gardot with her working band. This Larry Klein-produced sequel, with arrangements by Vince Mendoza, adds a variety off guest musicians, with strings on six of its 11 tracks. My clear favorites here include “Who Will Comfort Me,” “Your Heart is as Black as Night,” ”Lover Undercover” and “Deep Within the Corners of My Mind.” There is much to savor here and you are certain to discover your own favorites. A principally French track, “Les Étoiles” (The Stars) enhances the Piaf linkage.
Nick Hempton Band
Australian alto saxophonist Nick Hempton leads this swarthy New York-based bop quartet with Art Hirahara on piano, Marco Panascia on bass and Dan Aran on drums. Together, these versatile players
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April Hall, Fun out of Life
Florida-born, Boston-based April Hall is a singer of great quality and taste, as shown on her new CD, her second as a leader. She sings great standards, but none of the tired tunes. You know what I m
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