Search - Madeleine Peyroux;William Galison :: Got You on My Mind

Peyroux & Galison Make Magic On This Superb CD!!

Jana L. Perskie | New York, NY USA | 05/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vocalist Madeleine Peyroux, who has become one of my favorites, collaborates with multi-instrumentalist musician William Galison in this outstanding CD recorded in 2003. The combination of Ms. Peyroux distinctive voice, and Mr. Galison masterful accompaniment on the harmonica and guitar, make this album a must have. As a team the duo conjures-up pure magic! The chemistry between them is absolutely palpable. There are three solo instrumentals on the disc, original compositions by Galison. His virtuoso work on the harmonica is superb, and the mournful "Jealous Guy" is one of my favorite cuts. The two are backed by some of the industry's top musicians, including drummer Shawn Pelton, Bob Dylan's bassist Tony Garnier, and Rod Stewart's bassist Conrad Korsch. Carly Simon makes a delightful cameo appearance in "Shoulda Known."



The opening track, "Back In Your Own Backyard" simply swings. Josephine Baker's sultry "J'ai Deux Amours is updated here, and Ms. Peyroux's rendition of Jerome Kerns' "The Way You Look Tonight" is performed with extraordinary depth, as is the title track. Galison and Peyroux sing a duet in "Heaven Help Us All" to the sound of Jean Baptiste Bocle's Hammond B3. Songs made famous by John Lennon and Stevie Wonder are also featured.



I first heard Madeleine Peyroux sing when I bought her highly acclaimed CD, "Careless Love." I was enchanted by her voice and her selection of songs and wanted more. Thus, "Got You on My Mind" joined my CD collection and certainly enriches it. I have heard many people couple Ms. Peyroux's name with Billy Holiday's. I don't want to be contrary, but I don't want to compare her smoky smooth sound to anyone else's either. To me, there is no other like "Lady Day," nor does there have to be. Madeleine Peyroux, who brings a husky, full-throated sensuality, along with joyous spontaneity and, at times, a romantic languor to her songs, certainly does not have to stand in another vocalist's shadow. She clearly stamps the music with her own special style - and a very classy one that is.

JANA"

Got This Album On My Mind

F. Hagan | Raleigh, North Carolina, USA | 06/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Got You On My Mind" (Waking Up Music) is the musical collaboration of William Galison & Madeleine Peyroux featuring a series of standards and original genre pieces. The subject of the album seems to focus on relationship ideas, positive and negative, collectively spinning through a multitude of styles to reach its final destination. This album was recorded prior to Peyroux's own sophomore effort "Careless Love," during a time that the two shared a romantic and artistic relationship. Legal issues with Peyroux's current label prevented the immediate release of this compilation, which thankfully offers multiple pieces of interest for the appreciative audience



The opening track is a delightful cover of "Back In Your Own Back Yard" that is sizzling good swing superior to a multitude of previous versions of this standard. As always, Madeleine Peyroux sounds like Billie Holiday reincarnated for a modern audience. Her voice is a wonder to behold-and if anything, Peyroux's vocals offer slightly more whimsy than those of the great Holiday. The pairing with Galison and his excellent multi-instrumental skills focusing here on the harmonica and guitar, gives this track, along with many others, that Django like sense so popular with the current dance crowds. "J'ai Deux Amours" allows Peyroux to offer cheer to a lover with delicate French chanteuse styling, and great tempo changes in the musical tapestry. "Flambee Montalbanese" is a Viennese Waltz brought to the listener by way of a covered gypsy wagon--an excellent fast-paced instrumental piece with an eastern European feel. The album's title track "Got You On My Mind" is a slow bluesy riff that gives the artists the opportunity to blend vocals, and knowing the origins of the album, becomes a strangely fitting and contemplative recording on reflection.



Other provocative selections on this compilation include "The Way You Look Tonight" played in a folksy-style with a bossa nova pulse under Peyroux's magical singing, and Galison's repentant lead vocals in the deeply bluesy "Shoulda Known," featuring Carly Simon as the Scorpion. There's a bit of a tribute to John Lennon with the slow and pensive "Jealous Guy," and a bit more comedic musical background entertainment with Galison's "Rags for Madi." The album's closer, "Heaven Help Us All" which gives the listener another duet from the artists, reaches out with a plea for the saving of mankind, but based on the overall themes presented, it may be a request for salvation from the things that exist in all of our hearts and our constant struggles with how we relate to each other.

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A really lovely record

Suz | New York | 10/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a rare thing when the chemistry on an album is palatable. But `Got You On My Mind' is a rare record. From the opening track you can tell these two musicians really connect. Peyroux's sensuous, lilting voice is present on the majority of the tracks, but accompanied by Mr. Galison's amazing harmonica it has a less of a contrived quality. The few tracks without Peyroux, whether instrumentals or with Galison singing (he has a very good voice of his own) give the work a remarkably coherent pace. It's not like, `oh, where did she go?' Rather, `yes, this is where the record should be taking me now.'



`Got You On My Mind' is beautifully balanced and produced. It's not confronting, but then it doesn't fall into the soft jazz category either. It's just lovely, quality music from two musicians who know their craft.

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