Product details
- Label Decca
- Artist Melody Gardot
- Format 2LP
- Country Import
- Released Date 2024
- Genre Jazz
- Sealed Yes
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The Essential by Melody Gardot.
Melody Gardot has always understood that a song is a room you invite someone into, and "The Essential" opens door after door across four sides of vinyl. Spread across a generous double LP, this collection gathers the sultry, whispered intimacy that has become Gardot's signature, moving from smoky ballads to bright reveries with the ease of an artist who trusts silence as much as sound.
Side A sets the tone with the aching confession of "Baby I'm A Fool" and the tender lift of "If The Stars Were Mine," before Gardot turns to duet territory on "C'est Magnifique," where António Zambujo lends his warm Portuguese phrasing to a song that shimmers with continental charm. From there the mood drifts through "Morning Sun," "Sweet Memory," and "Mira," closing with a hushed, reverent reading of "Over The Rainbow" that strips the standard down to its emotional core.
Turn to Side B and you find the artist digging into her early identity with "Worrisome Heart" and the languid sway of "Our Love Is Easy." The high point here is "Love Song," a collaboration with trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf whose lyrical, unmistakable tone wraps around Gardot's vocal like a second voice. The side leans into her love of French song with "La Chanson des Vieux Amants," a live rendering of "Les Étoiles," and a gorgeous "La Vie En Rose" that feels both timeless and freshly imagined.
The third side reveals Gardot the interpreter and the storyteller. "First Song" and "This Foolish Heart Could Love You," drawn from The Paris Sessions, sit alongside "Once I Was Loved" and a live-in-Paris take on Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" that smolders with slow-burn tension. It all resolves into "Moon River," a song made for her kind of intimacy, where every syllable seems to hover in the air before it lands.
Side D brings the set home with grit and grandeur, opening on "Your Heart Is As Black As Night" and the delicate "If I Tell You I Love You" before "Who Will Comfort Me" builds its gospel-tinged plea. The closing stretch is all fire and atmosphere: a live-in-Paris "Love Me Like A River Does," a live "Bad News," and a haunting, cinematic "La Llorona" that sends the record off into the dark with real drama.
For collectors and newcomers alike, this is a rewarding way to experience the full breadth of Gardot's craft, spanning her originals, her duets, and her interpretations of enduring standards. It is a portrait of a singular voice, and one that belongs on any serious jazz and blues shelf.
Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. Baby I'm A Fool
A2. If The Stars Were Mine
A3. C'est Magnifique feat. António Zambujo
A4. Morning Sun
A5. Sweet Memory
A6. Mira
A7. Over The Rainbow
B1. Worrisome Heart
B2. Our Love Is Easy
B3. Love Song feat. Ibrahim Maalouf
B4. La Chanson des Vieux Amants
B5. Les Étoiles - Live
B6. La Vie En Rose
C1. First Song
C2. This Foolish Heart Could Love You - The Paris Sessions
C3. Once I Was Loved
C4. Ain't No Sunshine - Live in Paris
C5. Moon River
D1. Your Heart Is As Black As Night
D2. If I Tell You I Love You
D3. Who Will Comfort Me
D4. Love Me Like A River Does - Live in Paris
D5. Bad News - Live
D6. La Llorona - Live
Artist: Melody Gardot
Format: 2LP
Genre: Jazz
Label: Decca
Catalog Number: 6558101
Release Year: 2024
Country: Import
Condition: Sealed (New)
Frequently Asked Guestions
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