Melody Gardot - Which albums to buy?


Hello music lovers,

I just came upon Melody Gardot by chance and after listening to the Amazon sounds clips for "My One and Only Thrill".  Really liked what I was hearing.  I recently got into Karen Souza based on a recommendation from an A'Goner as well as Kandace Springs.  Melody's songs seem to have a genuineness to them.  

So...based on song and sound quality, which album (s) should I pursue?  Thanks!




128x128hifiman5
Her music reminds me of Diana Krall--well recorded but a bit too polished and lacking soul. My wife loves--me not as much.  I like "Worrisome Heart" the best in terms of the song craft and performance. I wish she would ditch the strings and explore the blues a little more. 
@grannyring   Is it the performance, recording quality or a bit of both that turns you off on the "live in Europe" album?  Thanks!
@dodgealum   Interesting observation about Ms. Krall.  Until I got the LP of "Live in Paris" I was having a rough time understanding why she was so popular among so many listeners.  The "Live" album helped to humanize her and changed the way I listened or at least appreciated her studio efforts.

I didn't realize, until reading your post, that Gardot's albums are all laden with backing strings.  If so, she might do well to cut an album with a blue/jazz trio or quartet.  Here's hoping.
@hifiman5 So I had the opposite reaction to "Live in Paris". I find Krall's singing style to be a little bit affected, which is tolerable on her other LPs but less so on the live album. It is almost a caricature--Krall singing Krall with unwelcome or unnatural emphasis that she may intend to come across as "feeling" for the crowd. Don't get me wrong, I like her voice and the "Love Stories" album (I have the SACD version) has some great tracks--but overall she leaves me feeling unmoved. Same with Gardot. I remember loving Stevie Nicks voice and style of singing--evident on the self-titled LP and on "Rumours" but then she started emphasizing what was a slightly "gritty" quality that had been very subtle but which in later albums with FM and during her solo run became a dominant element of her vocal style. At that point she lost me. (With two exceptions--"Stop Dragging My Heart Around" with TP was great as was her backup vocals on "Insider" off of TP's "Hard Promises").