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Music : Half The Perfect World
1 2 3
Rating: 
- Like good coffee ruined with too much milk.
The first few tracks are the heart and soul of this album. "I'm All Right" the first, is probably the best. "Summer Wind" is a sweet ballad - rock steady beat with gentle softly swooping vocals - very nice. "Blue Alert" - this is a good number that bops along nicely but Peyroux's vocals lack the edge and attack that would have made it something special. Still - it grows on you.
"Everybodys Talkin" is just an incredibly dull rendition of a clasic song. Truly dreadful.
There isn't much to say about the rest of the album only two other tracks are worthy of note: "Little Bit" co-written by Peyroux is a pretty good number - I hope to hear more of her own material on future albums.
"The Heart of Saturday Night" is one of those song that should have been left to Tom Waits, but this version is ok.
The rest of the album is OK, not bad, nothing special. I do listen to this album from start to finish but there are only the first three songs and "Little Bit" which grab my attention.
Well worth 3 stars.
Rating:
- Another Gem
Another slice of heaven. A phenomenal voice tied in with incredible production makes this an excellent buy that would enhance any collection.
Rating:
- Much more than half perfect to my ears
"Half the Perfect World" is the third, extremely tasteful album by Madeleine Peyroux and is yet another gem.
Musically, it features a wider range of material and, vocally, it sounds more light-hearted, less world-weary than a lot of her previous work.
Progress is shown as she co-wrote four original songs. Of course, like in the past, she also provides very individual, creative, sweetly nuanced arrangements to some cover songs (ranging from Johnny Mercer and Charlie Chaplin to Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits.)
Larry Klein (Mitchell's former husband) again produces whilst many of the musicians already played on her previous "Careless Love". Dean Parks (guitar), jazz keyboardist Sam Yahel, and bassist David Piltch are brilliant and solid pros. Interesting aural colours are added: Greg Leisz' steel guitar, a string quartet and k.d. lang's guest vocals.
The opener "I'm All Right" is a lost love song co-written by Peyroux, Walter Becker (from Steely Dan) and Larry Klein. The tempo swings gently. The three other originals feature the contribution of Jesse Harris (in place of Becker) ; Harris is well known for his collaboration with Norah Jones.
Johnny Mercer "The Summer Wind" follows ; very far from the usual ballad treatment, it is nothing short of a reinvention of this classic.
Two Leonard Cohen songs are covered : Blue Alert - very laid back - and "Half the Perfect World" - where Peyroux sounds both fragile and assured.
Fred Neil's masterful, folkish "Everybody's Talking" (a 1969 # 6 US pop hit for Harry Nilsson), receives a very memorable vocal performance whilst giving place for instrumental solos.
Tom Waits' "(Looking for) the Heart of Saturday Nigh" is masterfully adorned by Greg Leisz' country leaning steel.
"A Little Bit", one of the best original, has some kind of a "soul" arrangement.
Given the singer association with France, it's not surprising that she sings the excellent Serge Gainsbourg's song "La Javanaise" featuring an elegant sounding string section. Joni Mitchell's sad "River" sees k.d. lang alternating stanzas with Peyroux ; both singers prove supremely compatible on this song.
The CD concludes with the unexpected cover of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" featuring Dean Parks on ukulele. Nicely done, but maybe nothing special either.
Sonically, this CD is well recorded, often capturing the intimate sound well, especially on Peyroux' vocal.
Madeleine Peyroux is one of the best artists of the young generation expressing itself in the "chanteuse" genre, and she clearly grows from strength to strength with each new recording.
Rating:
- Deeply Disappointing
This album is dull. Deeply, deeply dull. I love Peyroux's first two albums but after listening to this one several times in a desperate attempt to find something of merit I've taken it down to the charity shop. It's hard to pin down but there is a lifeless sameness to most of the tracks. The only reason this got a second star is the first track, "I'm All Right" - which wouldn't have been out of place on Careless Love - a single thirty-something woman's statement of another failed relationship featuring the clever line break "It should be easy to leave/but I have to conceive/that wherever you are you're driving my car". Unfortunately, after the opening track it is all downhill. The cover of Tom Waits' "Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night" is almost criminal. Buy Careless Love or Dreamland instead.
Rating: - More than just the music
It's easy to dismiss this as less musical than Careless Love, and certainly it has fewer songs with catchy hooks, with the exception of a couple of tracks. In this context it is equally if not more interesting than Careless Love. This is far less popular jazz, and more a vocal painting by someone who has a wonderfully unique vocal style. Others compare her to the obvious Billie Holiday, and even Bessie Smith; but she has a style which when you take the time to listen is her own, and she certainly stands on her own in this respect.
The similarity with Norah Jones has also been made by some reviewers, but their style is vastly different. If you think from previous output that they are similar in style, then don't waste your money buying this. Ultimately, this album doesnt take Careless Love forwards, more like sidewards, and that is no bad thing.
- Like good coffee ruined with too much milk.The first few tracks are the heart and soul of this album. "I'm All Right" the first, is probably the best. "Summer Wind" is a sweet ballad - rock steady beat with gentle softly swooping vocals - very nice. "Blue Alert" - this is a good number that bops along nicely but Peyroux's vocals lack the edge and attack that would have made it something special. Still - it grows on you.
"Everybodys Talkin" is just an incredibly dull rendition of a clasic song. Truly dreadful.
There isn't much to say about the rest of the album only two other tracks are worthy of note: "Little Bit" co-written by Peyroux is a pretty good number - I hope to hear more of her own material on future albums.
"The Heart of Saturday Night" is one of those song that should have been left to Tom Waits, but this version is ok.
The rest of the album is OK, not bad, nothing special. I do listen to this album from start to finish but there are only the first three songs and "Little Bit" which grab my attention.
Well worth 3 stars.
Rating:
- Another GemAnother slice of heaven. A phenomenal voice tied in with incredible production makes this an excellent buy that would enhance any collection.
Rating:
- Much more than half perfect to my ears"Half the Perfect World" is the third, extremely tasteful album by Madeleine Peyroux and is yet another gem.
Musically, it features a wider range of material and, vocally, it sounds more light-hearted, less world-weary than a lot of her previous work.
Progress is shown as she co-wrote four original songs. Of course, like in the past, she also provides very individual, creative, sweetly nuanced arrangements to some cover songs (ranging from Johnny Mercer and Charlie Chaplin to Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits.)
Larry Klein (Mitchell's former husband) again produces whilst many of the musicians already played on her previous "Careless Love". Dean Parks (guitar), jazz keyboardist Sam Yahel, and bassist David Piltch are brilliant and solid pros. Interesting aural colours are added: Greg Leisz' steel guitar, a string quartet and k.d. lang's guest vocals.
The opener "I'm All Right" is a lost love song co-written by Peyroux, Walter Becker (from Steely Dan) and Larry Klein. The tempo swings gently. The three other originals feature the contribution of Jesse Harris (in place of Becker) ; Harris is well known for his collaboration with Norah Jones.
Johnny Mercer "The Summer Wind" follows ; very far from the usual ballad treatment, it is nothing short of a reinvention of this classic.
Two Leonard Cohen songs are covered : Blue Alert - very laid back - and "Half the Perfect World" - where Peyroux sounds both fragile and assured.
Fred Neil's masterful, folkish "Everybody's Talking" (a 1969 # 6 US pop hit for Harry Nilsson), receives a very memorable vocal performance whilst giving place for instrumental solos.
Tom Waits' "(Looking for) the Heart of Saturday Nigh" is masterfully adorned by Greg Leisz' country leaning steel.
"A Little Bit", one of the best original, has some kind of a "soul" arrangement.
Given the singer association with France, it's not surprising that she sings the excellent Serge Gainsbourg's song "La Javanaise" featuring an elegant sounding string section. Joni Mitchell's sad "River" sees k.d. lang alternating stanzas with Peyroux ; both singers prove supremely compatible on this song.
The CD concludes with the unexpected cover of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" featuring Dean Parks on ukulele. Nicely done, but maybe nothing special either.
Sonically, this CD is well recorded, often capturing the intimate sound well, especially on Peyroux' vocal.
Madeleine Peyroux is one of the best artists of the young generation expressing itself in the "chanteuse" genre, and she clearly grows from strength to strength with each new recording.
Rating:
- Deeply DisappointingThis album is dull. Deeply, deeply dull. I love Peyroux's first two albums but after listening to this one several times in a desperate attempt to find something of merit I've taken it down to the charity shop. It's hard to pin down but there is a lifeless sameness to most of the tracks. The only reason this got a second star is the first track, "I'm All Right" - which wouldn't have been out of place on Careless Love - a single thirty-something woman's statement of another failed relationship featuring the clever line break "It should be easy to leave/but I have to conceive/that wherever you are you're driving my car". Unfortunately, after the opening track it is all downhill. The cover of Tom Waits' "Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night" is almost criminal. Buy Careless Love or Dreamland instead.
Rating:
- More than just the musicIt's easy to dismiss this as less musical than Careless Love, and certainly it has fewer songs with catchy hooks, with the exception of a couple of tracks. In this context it is equally if not more interesting than Careless Love. This is far less popular jazz, and more a vocal painting by someone who has a wonderfully unique vocal style. Others compare her to the obvious Billie Holiday, and even Bessie Smith; but she has a style which when you take the time to listen is her own, and she certainly stands on her own in this respect.
The similarity with Norah Jones has also been made by some reviewers, but their style is vastly different. If you think from previous output that they are similar in style, then don't waste your money buying this. Ultimately, this album doesnt take Careless Love forwards, more like sidewards, and that is no bad thing.