Currency of Man (Decca)
Melody Gardot
Released June 1, 2015
JAZZ FM 20 Best Jazz Albums of the 2010s
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About:
International best-selling singer, songwriter and musician, Melody Gardot, is back with her 4th studio album, ‘Currency of Man’. The highly-anticipated ‘Currency of Man’ is an intensely creative milestone, transcending musical distinctions of jazz, blues and R&B, to offer a stirring social and musical statement. On the new album, Melody joins forces again with Grammy Award-winning producer Larry Klein. This striking musical partnership saw their last collaboration, 2009’s ‘My One and Only Thrill’, sell over 1.5 million copies, and produce songs that have become modern classics. ‘Currency of Man’ marks a substantial leap forward indeed, as we see Gardot take her gift for songwriting in a completely different direction to her last record, the critically acclaimed release ‘The Absence’. Her extraordinary voice, and underlying attitude, which exudes both strength and grace, is unmistakably Melody Gardot. The music world will be reminded instantly of the rare combination of natural talent and musical sophistication with which Melody effortlessly captures and holds her audience in the palm of her hand.
Track Listing:
1. It Gonna Come (Melody Gardot) 05:26
2. Preacherman (Melody Gardot / Chuck Staab) 04:31
3. Morning Sun [For Ezra Richardson] (Melody Gardot) 05:06
4. Same To You (Melody Gardot) 04:59
5. Don’t Misunderstand (Melody Gardot / Jesse Harris) 04:15
6. Don’t Talk (Melody Gardot) 04:17
7. If Ever I Recall Your Face (Melody Gardot) 06:52
8. Bad News (Melody Gardot) 04:38
9. She Don’t Know (Melody Gardot) 03:59
10. Once I Was Loved (Melody Gardot) 04:49
Personnel:
Melody Gardot: background vocalist (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9), electric guitar (2, 4, 5, 8, 9), piano (3, 7, 10)
Chuck Staab: drums (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
Pete Korpela: percussion (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9)
Pete Kuzma: organ (1, 5), keyboards (6)
Clément Ducol: piano (1, 6)
Mitchell Long: electric guitar (2, 8, 9)
Reese Richardson: electric guitar (3, 6)
Larry Klein: bass guitar (2, 5, 6), background vocalist (2)
Dan Higgins: tenor saxophone (1, 3, 4, 8, 9), baritone saxophone (1, 3, 4, 8, 9)
Andy Martin: trombone (1, 3, 4, 8, 9), bass trombone (4)
Irwin Hall: alto saxophone (1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9), flute (9)
Gary Grant: trumpet (1, 3, 4, 8, 9)
Vinnie Colaiuta: drums (1, 4)
Dan Lutz: bass guitar (3, 4, 8, 9)
Larry Goldings: organ (2, 4, 9)
Dean Parks: electric guitar (4, 9)
Jesse Harris: nylon-string guitar (5)
Julia Waters Tillman: background vocalist (1, 2, 4, 9)
Clydene Jackson-Edwards: background vocalist (1, 2, 4, 9)
Maxine Waters Willard: background vocalist (1, 2, 4, 9)
David Rose: background vocalist (2)
Jeff Greenberg: background vocalist (2)
Heather Donavon: background vocalist (3, 6)
Recorded November 30, 2014, at The Village, Los Angeles
Producer: Larry Klein
Engineered and Mixed by Maxime Le Guil
Assistant Engineers: Chris Owens, Vanessa Parr
Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Artwork: Jovite De Leymarie
Review:
The jazz world was blown away by Melody Gardot’s sophomore Verve album My One and Only Thrill in 2009. For her 2012 recording The Absence, she took a new direction, blending jazz with world music, particularly South American influences. But for her fourth major recording Currency of Man, Gardot went back to soulful jazz, returning to Thrill producer Larry Klein. Currency of Man was critically acclaimed, and Gardot has been compared to Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen with lyrics that are as stunning as her melodies. It’s also her most political album, as she criticizes and questions the state of things without letting a pointed message get in the way of a great song.
Jaymz Bee (JAZZ.FM91)
