Remianen
11-30-2005, 11:38 PM
Those folks who are into jazz (and I know there are a few here), I would highly recommend picking up 'Careless Love' by Madeline Peyroux, if you haven't already.
Most people will recognize her single, "Don't Wait Too Long" featured in a Dockers commercial currently airing in the US (no idea about abroad). You know, the one with the man and woman on seperate trolley cars in San Francisco? That was how I first came to know her (first time I saw that commercial, I didn't see it at all. But that voice....eerily reminiscent of Billie Holliday).
But I must admit to one faux pas. The first time I heard that song, I KNEW it was a black woman singing it. Knew it, there was no question in my mind. But I was SO wrong. That makes 3 times in 5 years (when I first heard Norah Jones and Joss Stone, I swore they had to be black too). It's basically just due to historical perspective, I guess. Even being a music connoisseur with well over 3,000 CDs spanning all categories, I can't think of a Caucasian equivalent to greats such as Billie Holliday, Minnie Ripperton, Miles Davis, Celia Cruz, Aretha Franklin, Shirley Caesar, etc. The experiences these folks had, during a different period of American history, produced a unique kind of pain that really came out in their music.
Anyway, I would highly recommend both 'Careless Love' and 'Dreamland' to anyone who's even curious about jazz and really mellow, soulful music in general. And I just scored tickets to a pair of charity concerts Madeline's performing in this weekend and I'm really looking forward to seeing how she performs live. But given her life story, I wouldn't doubt she sounds great live as well as on track.
You can listen to her tracks at her website (http://www.madelinepeyroux.com).
Most people will recognize her single, "Don't Wait Too Long" featured in a Dockers commercial currently airing in the US (no idea about abroad). You know, the one with the man and woman on seperate trolley cars in San Francisco? That was how I first came to know her (first time I saw that commercial, I didn't see it at all. But that voice....eerily reminiscent of Billie Holliday).
But I must admit to one faux pas. The first time I heard that song, I KNEW it was a black woman singing it. Knew it, there was no question in my mind. But I was SO wrong. That makes 3 times in 5 years (when I first heard Norah Jones and Joss Stone, I swore they had to be black too). It's basically just due to historical perspective, I guess. Even being a music connoisseur with well over 3,000 CDs spanning all categories, I can't think of a Caucasian equivalent to greats such as Billie Holliday, Minnie Ripperton, Miles Davis, Celia Cruz, Aretha Franklin, Shirley Caesar, etc. The experiences these folks had, during a different period of American history, produced a unique kind of pain that really came out in their music.
Anyway, I would highly recommend both 'Careless Love' and 'Dreamland' to anyone who's even curious about jazz and really mellow, soulful music in general. And I just scored tickets to a pair of charity concerts Madeline's performing in this weekend and I'm really looking forward to seeing how she performs live. But given her life story, I wouldn't doubt she sounds great live as well as on track.
You can listen to her tracks at her website (http://www.madelinepeyroux.com).