"carless love" Madeleine Peyroux Review

I bought Madeleine Peyroux's new album "carless love" hoping she could turn my luck. I was at a Starbuck's, in the middle of a bad day, and buying Madeleine was my ticket out of my dreary world into her universe.

When I first put the album on I thought there was something wrong with my car speakers. The bass was so upfront I thought my son had messed with the toner knobs. But he hadn't. The bass has the sh**t compressed out it. I don't know who was in charge of this, but the album should be re-released uncompressed.

I've been listening to this album for a few days and I'm already hitting the 'next track' button on my car's CD player. The album is a mix of haunting tracks and plain ordinary tracks. I can't help thinking that some songs are not finished. The arrangements are often too spare. Fortunately for you and me, some tracks manage to still work despite the all-too-safe production.

They are:

"dance me to the end of love"
"you're gonna make me lonesome when you go"
"between the bars"
"i'll look around"
"this is heaven to me"

There is some wonderful organ playing, unfortunately only on the tracks I don't like. Peyroux has an eclectic choice of songs which works against her. She mixes streetcorner, busker tunes with extremely sophisticated songs. That's why I keep hitting the next button. Once lost in the georgeous imagery of "dance me to the end of love" and "you're gonna make me lonesome when you go" I just couldn't stand tired old tunes like "no more" or "weary blues".

This is my dream: Peyroux will drop her simple tastes entirely, switch to a big label, hire a great jazz record producer who will in turn will hire a top jazz arranger who will match her with a world class orchestra. Then we'll hear a record where the music and Peyroux's voice interoperate on the same level.

Peyroux is a great talent who has yet to hit on the perfect combination of arrangements, musicians, song and singer. It is really very frustrating to be denied hearing her at her best. Because I really need to escape. I need to be confused in the imagery she brings to life. I need to be surprised at every turn with musical thoughts that weave around her voice. I need to be pushed to the edge where I'm crying in my car. I need it all.

So, I'm burning me a new CD with the best cuts of this CD and Peyroux's last album.