The plaintive lilt of Ms. Peyroux's voice, the earnest charm in her inflection…caused a palpable balm to overwhelm the crowd… people were heard commenting, "Who IS this?!?" Where has she BEEN?... Ms. Peyroux brought roars of approval with each chorus she’d sing…"
Jazz Weekly
The Frontier Touring Company are delighted to confirm the first ever Australian tour of Madeleine Peyroux – the artist The Telegraph has called "the find of 2005". And despite being lauded by many media as an exciting 'new talent', this songstress has a story that stretches back much, much further than 2004.
Raised in Paris, Madeleine Peyroux (pronounced like the country Peru) cut her teeth as a street musician in the Latin Quarter. While visiting New York she was discovered by an Atlantic Records talent scout and in 1996 her debut album Dreamland burst onto the music scene on a wave of rave reviews. Time Magazine pronounced the album as "the most exciting, involving vocal performance by a new singer this year." Their effusiveness is illustrative of the many reviews Peyroux received that year.
However, at just 23 years old, the pressures of such sudden success proved too much for Madeleine, and plans for future recordings were scrapped.
Eight years on, and a matured Madeleine Peyroux has returned with her sophomore album Careless Love (Universal Music). A torrent of glowing reviews supported its release in late 2004 and the album jumped immediately into the Top 20 of the Australian jazz charts, remaining there today after an impressive 21 weeks. With a top chart position in the Top 5 Careless Love is currently riding high at #6.
Time Magazine ranked Careless Love the #2 album of 2004, while The Times wrote "her smoke-and-honey vocals – often compared to Billie Holiday – caress songs by Bessie Smith, Bob Dylan and Hank Williams. In a year that has seen the public bombarded with jazz-age nostalgia... Careless Love is the year's most beguiling and credible take on songs past."
Entertainment Weekly wrote, "in her capable hands jazz crossover gets a good name" and Mojo added "gorgeous... it's essential warmth will soothe the most cynical soul."
In her live performances, she reportedly adds a further dimension to already powerful vocals. The New York Times wrote of a recent show, "she emits a heady aura of places lived and music absorbed that floats around her like a ghostly multiple exposure of faces and voices from the past."
Don't make the mistake of missing Madeleine Peyroux in her first tour of Australia, performing in intimate venues in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne.
Tickets on sale Tuesday 15 March.
