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Half The Perfect World
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| Editorial Reviews: | | |  | | Smokey-voiced chanteuse Madeleine Peyroux's third CD is a lovely collection of after-hours ruminations and should confirm her rise to fame. Credit producer Larry Klein for doing a bang-up job with the album's sound: the elegant, pared-down arrangements are all brushed drums, acoustic guitars, and cool organ licks. But of course it's Peyroux's voice that brings it all home--preferably one where the shades are drawn, embers are smoldering in the fireplace, and the white wine is kept dry. Two-thirds of the songs are well-chosen covers, including a duet with k.d. lang on Joni Mitchell's "River"; a relaxed version of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'," from Midnight Cowboy; a delicately lilting samba take on Leonard Cohen and Anjani Thomas's title track; Serge Gainsbourg's "La Javanaise," performed in the original French; and Charlie Chaplin's "Smile," from Modern Times. The four originals, all coauthored by Peyroux, easily keep up with such august company, especially "I'm All Right"--written with Klein and Walter Becker, it captures the easy sophistication of Becker's regular band, Steely Dan. Fans of Norah Jones (whose collaborator Jesse Harris cowrote three of the songs) should gobble up this album, but Peyroux is no mere imitator: She's her own, very real thing. --Elisabeth Vincentelli | |
| Custom Reviews: | |
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| Madeleine Peyroux's exquisite vocals shine on tremendous album. | |
| | I believe that this is Madeleine Peyroux's best album to date. I own all of her albums and I think that her voice shines through on here. There are some well established standards on this brilliant cd which Madeleine Peyroux makes her own.
I couldn't really choose a single favourite on here so I will have to choose the whole album. The classic song by Nilsson, "Everybody's Talking At Me", is given a wonderful twist which works extremely well and she sings it with great finess. Another one is "River" which she sings as a duet with kd lang. A gorgeous song that is exquisite in its delivery. Then there's the closing track "Smile" written by Charlie Chaplin. This is beautifully sung and is a perfect end to a triumphant album. Her vocals are smooth as silk on all the tracks on here and breathe a new lease of life to them.
This album is one of my favourite jazz albums and any Madeleine Peyroux fans out there should own a copy. Her previous albums are excellent also and well worth owning but for me, this one really shines.
| | Enigmatic and introspective. | |
| | When Madeleine Peyroux went "missing" in Britain while promoting her breakthrough album "Careless Love", her record company couldn't wait to tell the media. How better to differentiate Peyroux from the rest of the jazz-lite crew than by painting her as a wayward chanteuse?
She hadn't disappeared, of course. She'd simply become bored with the promo-circus and gone back to New York. And who could blame her?
But Madeleine didn't need a vanishing act to raise her above her rivals. Her smoke-and-honey vocals, Billie Holiday phrasing, and breezily bohemian way with classy material had assured her fanbase.
They won't be disappointed by her third release, produced by Joni Mitchell's ex, Larry Klein.
It rolls out a lulling, late-night mix of Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen songs with new material co-written by Jesse Harris, best-known for his collaboration with Norah Jones.
The opener, "I'm All Right", is a lament for a lost love, written with sorrow and wit. As Madeleine pines for the man who smoked stogies and sang Christmas songs in bed, she sings of asking for "a few kind words/ He gave me a novel instead".
Harry Nilsson's "Everybody's Talking" is slowed down to a beach-bar shuffle with delicate cymbals in the surf, and K D Lang contributes trademark stretched notes on a duet of Joni Mitchell's "River".
The songs don't have the rawness of the originals - but what's so wicked about enjoying a warm-hearted, elegant record that doesn't mind a bit of background chatter?
| | | "Half the Perfect World" - the title of one of the Leonard Cohen songs that she sings on the album - is a mix of Peyroux's own songs and her take on the works of other singers and songwriters that she admires. Of the 12 tracks on the album, four were written by Peyroux and the remaining eight are covers. These include works by Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Serge Gainsbourg and the aforementioned Cohen.
"Half the Perfect World" is a beautiful album, but its popularity is likely to remain within a niche sector. For those who like her style of music, the album will no doubt be a huge success. But outwith this group, Peyroux may find it difficult to draw the award-winning attention she perhaps deserves.
This album will undoubtedly build on Peyroux's success to date. Her voice embodies so much; wistful yearning, romanticism, sadness, joy and more.
The tracks she wrote in collaboration with other writers demonstrate her own writing ability, while her interpretation of the classics she covers is fresh and personal.
There is very much the sense of Peyroux singing these absolutely as she wants, meandering and taking her time over the lyrics in a luxurious fashion.
Occasionally the tracks can feel stilted and frustratingly slow; her cover of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" may leave you wishing she would take less time over the lyrics. But on the whole they are fantastic new tracks in their own right.
In particular her cover of Joni Micthell's "River", a duet featuring KD Lang, is absolutely beautiful. Their voices work perfectly together, tumbling over the delicate guitar and piano chords. Any frustration at the slower, more sultry numbers is quickly erased by the upbeat tracks on the album, including "I'm All Right" and "A Little Bit".
You should listen to it.
| | k.d. lang shines -- unfortunately | |
| | This is my only Madeleine Peyroux cd and will be my last. My favourite part of this is k.d. lang's performance on "River". Where k.d. sounds mature and expressive, Peyroux has a child-like voice which expresses giddy happiness in every song, whether appropriate or not.
| | Genuine talent with an old fashioned charm, Madeleine is a hidden gem ! | |
| | Madeleine Peyroux comes across as an artist older than her years.
Even though she is only in her early 30's, her music and voice sound like they belong to the previous generation.
The fact that Peyroux's voice absolutely reeked of her Billie Holiday influences somewhat tarnished that breakthrough album "Careless Love".
For her new album, "Half The Perfect World", she showcases the emotional core of songs by other singers and songwriters she's admired, and also displays her talents as a writer on four songs she co-wrote, keeping a distinctly romantic edge.
The CD is slightly less heavy on the Holiday-isms but more intriguing in the song selection.
For Peyroux tackles the love songs she loves, treating them to timelessly jazzy readings.
Given the makeover are Johnny Mercer's "The Summer Wind", Leonard Cohen's "Blue Alert", Joni Mitchell's "River", Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'", Tom Waits's "(Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night", Serge Gainsburg's "La Javanaise" and Charlie Chaplin's "Smile".
The album conjures in the mind imagery of smoky bars, music lifted from the screen of an American feelgood movie. Drums are always light brushes, barely touching the skins, guitars light and fruity, clearly a double bass rather than an electric.
No cutting edges are approached, no taboos challenged, but it is a pleasant amble through familiar territory.
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