Melody Gardot

A reduction in mobility after a motor car mashed her off her bicycle meant Melody Gardot would turn to music more than ever before as a means of travel on the road to recovery. Years later, releasing this first full-length disc, we witness her blend of jazz and blues instrumentation with her soulful, sultry, slightly smoky, super cool vocals. She co-produces this album and all too short at just over thirty minutes it is.

Norah Jones jumps to mind as an immediate comparison upon initial listen. Yet more spins around the stereo and one can pick out elements unique to Gardot, along with clarinet, cello and slide guitar arrangements, to name but a few varied instruments. Periodically, she incorporates a spot of Scat Singing, adopting a sometimes pensive, sometimes playful persona. It is hard to pick just a few choice tracks from the ten fine forms. A couple of the more reflective numbers that captivate me on the theme of love are "Quiet Fire" and "Love Me Like A River Does." And two fun ones being "All That I Need Is Love" and the jolly "Goodnite " with its jazzy double bass, finger snapping music with French lyrical moments thrown in for grand measure.

The wonder of wandering around the music sections in Audio Visual yield such groovy gems. I am well pleased with this lovely little number, new to the collection in our favourite library and I shall endeavor to give it just a few more listens before bringing it back tomorrow so someone else can share the sweet sounds and wait patiently for her new disc due to hit store shelves on 28 April 2009.