MADELEINE PEYROUX — Secular Hymns (2016) SHM-CD | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Recorded at the Parish Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, England, Madeleine Peyroux's eighth studio album, 2016's Secular Hymns, finds the vocalist/guitarist delivering a stripped-down, largely acoustic set of warm, eclectic cover tunes. Backing Peyroux this time out are guitarist/vocalist Jon Herington and bassist/vocalist Barak Mori, both highly sought-after New York-based musicians with deep jazz, blues, and rock credits. While technically a studio album, Secular Hymns was recorded as if a live concert, a choice inspired by Peyroux's 2015 performance at the venue. The result is an album that's a 180-degree turn from her previous effort, 2013's ambitious homage to Ray Charles, The Blue Room. Where that album framed Peyroux's earthy vocals in organ, electric guitar, horns, and a lush orchestra, Secular Hymns feels like you are sitting in the front row of an intimate Peyroux concert. Here, Peyroux eases into the session, kicking things off with a supple, harmonized, Western swing-tinged take on John Greer & the Rhythm Rockers' 1951 side "Got You on My Mind." She then struts through Tom Waits' "Tango Till They're Sore," imbuing the song with a wry sensuality that's equal parts Billie Holiday and Marlene Dietrich. Despite the acoustic, minimalist nature of the production, Peyroux still manages to defy expectations, offering up a delicately swaggering take on Allen Toussaint's "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" and transforming Linton Kwesi Johnson's reggae anthem "More Time" into a something that sounds improbably like Eartha Kitt doing a cabaret homage to Bob Marley. Thankfully, it works, as do other selections including her more traditional readings of songs like the swinging Sister Rosetta Tharpe number "Shout Sister Shout" and her folky, sad-eyed version of Townes Van Zandt's "The Highway Kind." Particular effective is her bittersweet take on Stephen Foster's parlor song "Hard Times Come Again No More." A poignant rumination on life's inequities and hardships, particularly those visited on the less fortunate in society, the song is a perfect fit for Peyroux's throaty, highly resonant voice, an instrument that has only ripened in the decades since her debut. Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1    Got You On My Mind 4:31
Written-By – Howard Biggs, Joe Thomas
2    Tango Till They're Sore 3:25
Written-By – Thomas A. Waits
3    The Highway Kind 2:47
Written-By – Townes Van Zandt
4    Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On) 3:16
Written-By – Allen Toussaint
5    If The Sea Was Whiskey 3:07
Written-By – Leonard Caston, Willie Dixon
6    Hard Times Come Again No More 4:17
Arranged By – Jon Herington
Written-By – Stephen Foster
7    Hello Babe 3:11
Written-By – Kansas Joe McCoy, Lil Green
8    More Time 3:23
Written-By – Linton Kwesi Johnson
9    Shout Sister Shout 2:43
Written-By – Bill Doggett, Lucky Millinder, Sister Rosetta Tharpe
10    Trampin' 3:06
Traditional
Arranged By – Madeleine Peyroux
– BONUS TRACK FOR JAPAN –
11    Easy Come Easy Go Blues 3:03
Credits :
Double Bass [Upright Bass], Vocals – Barak Mori
Electric Guitar, Vocals – John Herington
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Guitalele [Guilele] – Madeleine Peyroux

MADELEINE PEYROUX — Anthem (2018) SHM-CD | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Having already transitioned from traditional acoustic jazz and blues to her own eclectic folk- and pop-leaning originals on past albums, Madeleine Peyroux once again embraces the latter on 2018's Anthem. Named after the Leonard Cohen song that she covers with emotive precision here, Anthem finds the former busker turned chanteuse collaborating with a team of highly regard musicians, arrangers, and songwriters including longtime producer and multi-instrumentalist Larry Klein, guitarist and primary lyricist David Baerwald, organist Patrick Warren, and drummer Brian MacLeod. Also joining in at various times are guitarist Dean Parks, saxophonist Chris Cheek, drummer Jay Bellerose, and vocalist Luciana Souza (who does not sing but instead adds subtle percussion accents), and others. Although capable of tackling standards and traditional songs with a sophisticated lyricism, Peyroux is, at her core, a bohemian storyteller, a folksinger in the vein of Cohen and Rickie Lee Jones and Cohen. While some listeners may prefer her more acoustic, jazz-oriented albums, many of her songs on Anthem achieve a similar level of nuance and sophistication. This is especially true on the Harry Nilsson-esque "All My Heroes," in which she ruminates on discovering the imperfection of one's idols. She sings "All my heroes were failures in their eyes/Losers, drunkards, fallen saints, and suicides." Similarly engaging is "The Brand New Deal," in which she croons with wry cynicism about modern capitalist culture against a breezy, Steely Dan-sounding fusion groove. There's also a knowingly cheeky -- even kitschy -- quality to some of the tracks, as on the twangy, baritone guitar-led Latin lounge number "Honey Party." She also takes a similarly cheeky approach on the buoyant "On a Sunday Afternoon," in which she expounds upon the medicinal freedoms of the weekend, singing "Oh yeah, its a Sunday afternoon/Got Cap'n Crunch, and reefer, and old cartoons." There are also several dusky, literate moments -- including the languidly hopeful "We Might as Well Dance" -- that, as with much of Anthem, seem to speak to Peyroux's particularly Zen view of the world.  Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1    On My Own 4:06
 David Baerwald / Larry Klein / Brian Macleod / Madeleine Peyroux / Patrick Warren
2    Down On Me 5:00
 David Baerwald / Larry Klein / Brian Macleod / Madeleine Peyroux / Patrick Warren
3    Party Tyme    4:37
 David Baerwald / Larry Klein / Brian Macleod / Madeleine Peyroux / Patrick Warren
4    Anthem 5:25
Written-By – Leonard Cohen
5    All My Heroes    3:59
 David Baerwald / Larry Klein / Brian Macleod / Madeleine Peyroux / Patrick Warren
6    On A Sunday Afternoon    4:17
 David Baerwald / Larry Klein / Brian Macleod / Madeleine Peyroux / Patrick Warren
7    The Brand New Deal    4:57
 David Baerwald / Larry Klein / Brian Macleod / Madeleine Peyroux / Patrick Warren
8    Lullaby    5:22
 David Baerwald / Larry Klein / Brian Macleod / Madeleine Peyroux / Patrick Warren
9    Honey Party    4:01
 David Baerwald / Larry Klein / Brian Macleod / Madeleine Peyroux / Patrick Warren
10    The Ghosts Of Tomorrow    4:14
 David Baerwald / Larry Klein / Brian Macleod / Madeleine Peyroux / Patrick Warren
11    We Might As Well Dance 3:17
Drums, Percussion – Jay Bellerose
 David Baerwald / Larry Klein / Brian Macleod / Madeleine Peyroux / Patrick Warren
12    Liberté 4:32
Arranged By – Larry Klein, Madeleine Peyroux
Mixed By – Roderick Shearer
Written-By – Paul Éluard
– BONUS TRACK –
13    Last Night When We Were Young    5:44
Credits :
Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Pedal Steel Guitar, Backing Vocals, Other [Guilele], Guitar [High strung] – Dean Parks
Backing Vocals – Clydene Jackson, Julia Tillman Waters, Maxine Waters
Bass, Keyboards, Percussion, Guitar, Backing Vocals, Producer – Larry Klein
Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Brian MacLeod
Duduk – Jivan Gasparyan Jr.
Electric Guitar, Guitar [Nylon], Backing Vocals – David Baerwald
Harmonica – Gregoire Maret
Organ [Hammond], Backing Vocals – Pete Kuzma
Piano, Electric Piano, Dulcitone, Harmonium, Backing Vocals – Patrick Warren
Tambourine, Triangle, Shaker, Percussion – Luciana Souza
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Chris Cheek
Trombone – Andy Martin
Trumpet – Gabriel Johnson
Trumpet, Backing Vocals – John "Scrapper" Sneider
Vocals, Other [Guilele], Artwork By – Madeleine Peyroux

MADELEINE PEYROUX — Careless Love (2004) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Madeleine Peyroux took eight long years to follow up her acclaimed 1996 debut, Dreamland. While her website claims non-chalantly that she "took a breather," it still amounts to a courageous act. Careless Love was produced by Larry Klein who hired some heavy hitters for these sessions; they include Larry Goldings, Scott Amendola, David Piltch, and Dean Parks.

Even on first listen, Careless Love appears more focused than its predecessor. Klein's sense of restraint seeks subtler adventures in presenting Peyroux's voice and remarkable phrasing. The material is a curious collection of modern pop songs, country tunes, old nuggets, and the original, "Don't Wait Too Long," co-written with Klein and Jesse Harris. Peyroux's opening read of Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love" is radical, it's still presented as a cabaret song, but deliberately lacks the drama of the original; instead, her tender annunciation draws closer attention to the powerful emotion in its lyric.

Bob Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go" portrays the song's object as physically and emotionally present, to the delighted protagonist who knows sadness is approaching. Parks' guitar playing is sparse but physical; Amendola's brushwork complements Jay Bellerose's spare cymbal and tom-tom work, and Goldings' grooving organ and piano. The hinge track is Peyroux's version of Elliiot Smith's "Between The Bars" introduced by taut sonic ambience whispering in the backdrop, as Goldings' celeste underscores the atmospherics with a haunted groove. Amendola's brushes whisper and shimmer, allowing the singer to explore the lyric's devastatingly melancholic depths. The skeletal, ghostly treatment given Hank Williams' "Weary Blues" floats free of its country trappings. The band surround Peyroux's voice with uptown blues. Likewise, the title track, a standard composed by W.C. Handy, weds the sensual swing of Saturday R&B to Sunday morning gospel sway. Driven by B-3 organ and Rhodes piano, Parks adds dirty, spidery guitar, allowing Peyroux to seemingly swim inside the lyric, as it slowly and sensuously drips from her mouth. In choosing Klein for Careless Love -- one of the most empathetic producers of female vocalists -- Peyroux understood what was at stake in returning after such a long break. In the interim she's become a more confident, chancy, and commanding singer. She gets inside lyrics fully; she embraces her accompaniment as an aid in their expression rather than as merely a support vehicle. Balance that with the choice of material, and this set easily avoids the "sophomore jinx," and rises head and shoulders above the accomplishment presented on her debut. Thom Jurek
Tracklist :
1    Dance Me To The End Of Love 3:57
Written-By – Leonard Cohen
2    Don't Wait Too Long 3:11
Written-By – Jesse Harris, Larry Klein, Madeleine Peyroux
3    Don't Cry Baby 3:18
Written-By – J. Johnson, S. Bernie, S. Unger
4    You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go 3:27
Written-By – Bob Dylan
5    Between The Bars 3:44
Written-By – Steven Paul Smith
6    No More 3:33
Trumpet – Lee Thornburg
Written-By – Bob Russell, Salvador Camarata
7    Lonesome Road 3:11
Written-By – Gene Austin, Nathaniel Shilkret
8    J'ai Deux Amours 2:56
Lyrics By – Géorges Koger, Henri Varna
Music By – Vincent Scotto
9    Weary Blues 3:40
Written-By – Hank Williams
10    I'll Look Around 4:48
Percussion [Brushes] – Scott Amendola
Written-By – Douglas Cross, George Cory
11    Careless Love 3:51
Written-By – Martha Koenig, Spencer Williams, William C. Handy
12    This Is Heaven To Me 3:12
Performer [Excerpts] – Nino Rota
Trumpet – Lee Thornburg
Written-By – Ernest Schweikert, Frank Reardon
Written-By [Contains Excerpts From The Composition And Sound Recording "o Venezia Venaga Venusia"] – Nino Rota
Credits :
Madeleine Peyroux - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Dean Parks - Guitars
Larry Goldings - Piano, Wurlitzer Piano, Estey Organ, Hammond Organ, Celeste
David Piltch - Bass
Jay Bellerose - Drums, Percussion
Lee Thornburg - Trumpet (#6,12)
Scott Amendola - Brushes (#10)

MADELEINE PEYROUX — Standing On The Rooftop (2011) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

In 2009, Madeleine Peyroux issued Bare Bones, her first recording of all-original material with producer Larry Klein and a small group of jazz musicians and co-composers. Standing on the Rooftop is her debut recording for Decca with producer Craig Street. The group of players here is a diverse lot: drummer Charlie Drayton, guitarists Christopher Bruce and Marc Ribot, bassist Me'Shell Ndegeocello; John Kirby, Glenn Patscha, and Patrick Warren alternate on keyboards, percussionist Mauro Refosco, violinist Jenny Scheinman, and Allen Toussaint guests on piano. The program is richly and elegantly painted with modern production touches even as its songs are rooted in the historical past of classic Americana: pop songs, blues, jazz, and sitting room tunes. It includes eight originals and four covers, among them a poem by W.H. Auden set to music by Ribot entitled "Lay Your Sleeping Head, My Love." The music is summery and laid-back. The languid parlor-room reading of "Martha My Dear" by Lennon & McCartney has a deliberate old-timey feel and twins well with "Fickle Dove" (one of two Peyroux tunes written with Scheinman). Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain," with its strange pump organ backdrop and studio echo, indulges the kinds of production tricks Tom Waits might employ in disguising a blues. That said, this song too has a twin of sorts in the sonically similar title track; a clattering rag blues with ambient electronics held in check by Peyroux's elegantly earthy vocal. Ribot's acoustic guitar and Toussaint's upright on the Auden poem give the singer a perfectly loose frame to create a song inside. The thin, lean, funky blues on "The Kind You Can't Afford" (co-written with former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman) and Bob Dylan's "I Threw It All Away" are both slow shuffles and high points. In the latter, Peyroux's voice shifts the lyric's meaning to where the implied bitterness gives way to bewilderment. The album's final three cuts, "Meet Me in Rio," "Ophelia," and "The Way of All Things" make fine use of Peyroux's jazz chops; and because of Street's production, make an exact time-space continuum wonderfully imprecise. As an album, Standing on the Rooftop may not be as striking as its predecessor, but perhaps it wasn't meant to be. It is a seemingly effort that pushes the familiar toward an uncertain future where pop genres cease to need to exist at all. Thom Jurek
Tracklist  :
1    Martha My Dear 2:32
Written-By – Lennon-McCartney
2    The Kind You Can't Afford 3:59

Written-By – Bill Wyman
3    Leaving Home Again 3:35
Written-By – Bill Wyman
4    The Things I've Seen Today 3:44
Written-By – Jenny Scheinman
5    Fickle Dove 3:28
Written-By – Jenny Scheinman
6    Lay Your Sleeping Head, My Love 3:23
Composed By – Marc Ribot
7    Standing On The Rooftop 5:46
Written-By – David Batteau
8    I Threw It All Away 3:15
Written-By – Bob Dylan
9    The Party Oughta Be Comin' Soon    5:00
10    Superhero 3:21
Written-By – Jonatha Brooke
11    Love In Vain 3:40
Written-By – Robert Johnson
12    Don't Pick A Fight With A Poet 4:28
Written-By – Andy Scott Rosen
13    Meet Me In Rio    3:51
14    Ophelia 5:12
Written-By – David Batteau
15    The Way Of All Things    4:02
16    The Things I've Seen Today
Credits :
Bass – Meshell Ndegeocello
Drums – Charley Drayton
Guitar – Christopher Bruce, Marc Ribot
Keyboards – Glenn Patscha, John Kirby, Patrick Warren
Percussion – Mauro Refosco
Piano – Allen Toussaint
Violin – Jenny Scheinman
Vocals – Madeleine Peyroux