The Essential Melody Gardot Melody Gardot

• 1 Baby I'm A Fool 03:31
• 2 If The Stars Were Mine 02:48
• 3 C’est Magnifique 04:52
• 4 Morning Sun 05:06
• 5 Sweet Memory (48kHz) 03:22
• 6 Mira 04:13
• 7 Over The Rainbow 04:33
• 8 Worrisome Heart (48kHz) 04:21
• 9 Our Love Is Easy (48kHz) 05:28
• 10 Love Song 05:23
• 11 La chanson des vieux amants (48kHz) 05:42
• 12 Les étoiles (Live) (48kHz) 03:19
• 13 La Vie En Rose 05:16
• 14 First Song 04:39
• 15 This Foolish Heart Could Love You (The Paris Sessions) 03:57
• 16 Once I Was Loved 04:51
• 17 Ain't No Sunshine (Live In Paris / Edit) (48kHz) 05:06
• 18 Moon River 03:48
• 19 Your Heart Is As Black As Night 02:45
• 20 If I Tell You I Love You 03:33
• 21 Who Will Comfort Me 04:58
• 22 Love Me Like A River Does (Live In Paris / Edit) (48kHz) 05:31
• 23 Bad News (Live) (48kHz) 06:26
• 24 La Llorona (Live) (48kHz) 06:24
• Total Runtime 01:49:52

Info for The Essential Melody Gardot

Decca Records celebrate Melody Gardot’s 20-year anniversary in music with the release of The Essential Melody Gardot, a 25-track collection comprising music selected and sequenced by Gardot herself. Much more than a mere best-of, it is a listening experience intended to convey the length and depth of Gardot’s achievements as a recording and performing artist. “I tried to create a vibe as one would with a set list, especially for the vinyl, so that each side has a mood,” she notes. The Essential Melody Gardot is also intended to present her as she grew and developed her craft of singing and songwriting, capturing the journey she began in 2004 as she lay in a hospital bed, recovering from a debilitating car accident.

Two tunes on The Essential Melody Gardot have not been released until now. ‘La Llorona’ is a haunting Mexican ballad rife with tragedy and endless verses. Gardot chose to perform it to an appreciative crowd in Mallorca in 2019 with gentle guitar-and-cello accompaniment. ‘First Song’ is a masterfully delicate reading of an Abbey Lincoln/Charlie Haden composition that was the product of a magic moment of inspiration in the studio: bassist Haden, Brazilian cellist Jaques Morelenbaum, and keyboardist Gil Goldstein all contributing. “Charlie was the catalyst,” Gardot recalled. “It was a random, heartbeat moment à la [the Duke Ellington/Charles Mingus/Max Roach session] Money Jungle. We were all there, and Charlie handed me the music and said, ‘I want you to sing this.’”

The majority of the music on The Essential Melody Gardot is drawn from Gardot’s six studio recordings, from 2008’s major label debut Worrisome Heart to her 2022 collaboration with Brazilian pianist Philippe Powell, Entre eux deux. A few are special remixes or versions that have not been readily available, such as her half-sung, half-spoken rendition of Elton John’s ‘Love Song’ (originally on 2020’s Sunset in the Blue), with trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf contributing emotive filigree. A number highlight Gardot’s multilingual skills, intoning in French (‘La chanson des vieux amants’, ‘La Vie en Rose’) and Spanish (‘La Llorona’) with the ease and flow of a native speaker. And four concert recordings add live punch to the set, capturing the fun and immediacy of her shows. “I love the vulnerability of a live performance” Gardot states, “It’s raw and honest.”

Melody Gardot

Please Note: This album consists of different sampling rates. See track list - behind each track you'll find the sampling rate.

The Beginning
Every artist has a story. Melody's is at the heart of her music. When she was 19, Melody was hit by a car. During her recovery she used music as a form of therapy, even recording and releasing tracks while still in the hospital. Once out, she started playing around Philadelphia. Before long Universal Records signed her. Her first full-length album, Worrisome Heart, displayed her gift for transforming the traditions of jazz and blues with her intimate and personal sound. It also set a soulful artist with a small but strong following onto the world stage.

Melody's Evolution
After the critical acclaim that met her debut Melody was ready. Ready to work with Grammy-winning producer Larry Klein to create an album that would capture the subtleties of a live performance in the studio. Ready to collaborate with legendary composer Vince Mendoza, whose orchestral arrangements she thought of as a secret weapon on her album. Ready to grow as an artist. Ready to evolve her sound.

This album contains no booklet.