Concert Review of Madeleine Peyroux
Madaleine Peyroux is one of the best things that has happened to jazz singing
in a long time. While most of the newer jazz singers have felt that they
need to do something different for the sake of doing it, Madaleine Peyroux
has stuck to her roots, playing a captivating mix of swinging jazz standards,
blues, and originals, with even a tinge of country influence thrown in as
well.
Peyroux is often criticized for sounding too much like Billie Holiday and
other singers. Although there is a certain amount of validity in this, it
would be a huge mistake to dismiss her for this reason. In my opinion, it
would be worse to listen to Billie's singing and not be influenced by it
than to sound like her. This is the same argument that was made against
Sonny Stitt by people who said he sounded too much like Charlie Parker.
What matters in a musician is whether or not they express themselves in
the way that comes naturally to them, not who they sound like. Obviously,
there are musicians who rip other people off, or change their style to gain
popularity, but this is not the case with Madeleine Peyroux.
The concert itself was extraordinary. The 22 year old Peyroux came on stage
with bare feet and confidence. She grabbed hold of the audience and didn't
let them go until she finished, an hour later. She opened her set with "Walkin'
After Midnight" (the first song on her album as well), and left the
audience spellbound. She sang most of the songs off her album, with a few
new ones, such as the hilarious "Nobody Loves a Fat Girl, but Oh How
a Fat Girl Can Love", the swinging "Lounging at the Waldorf",
"Frying Pan", Bessie Smith's "Got Me Goin'", and an
excellent original called "Oh Pretty Baby".
Excellent backup musicians and an incredible performance by the young Peyroux
(pronounced Pe-ru), made this a very enjoyable concert. The definate high
point of the set, in my opinion was the final song before the encore, "Was
I." Although I might have been a little biased (this is my favorite
song off her CD), Marc Ribot's guitar solo and Kenny Wollison's drum solo
on the wood blocks of his old fashioned jazz drumset made it better.
I highly recommend Madaleine Peyroux to jazz traditionalists, or anyone
else who wants to hear an exciting new jazz singer. She is a natural musician
who is truly a pleasure to listen to, and I highly recommend seeing her
if she is playing near you.
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