Melody Gardot - The Absence

Jazz/folk chanteuse Melody Gardot developed a devoted following in Philadelphia and New York for her supple mix of soul-bearing originals and inspired covers but the international success -- particularly in Europe -- accompanying her 2009 breakout album My One And Only Thrill has dramatically expanded her musical vision. Long-awaited project The Absence (May 29, Verve) sounds as exotic and sultry as the look of her recent press photos. Gardot sees the new album as a musical travelogue of her cross-cultural ventures, taking the listener, she says, to "the deserts of Morocco, the streets of Lisbon, from the tango bars of Buenos Aires to the beaches of Brazil." Producer, arranger and guitarist Hector Pereira is Gardot's collaborator for The Absence, giving her cool, quavering vocals a variety of lush, gently rhythmic beds to luxuriate in, from the festive, sunny "Mira" (video below) to the nuanced torch cabaret of "So We Meet Again My Heartache" to "So Long", a lovely acoustic track that perhaps captures best the quintessential Gardot style. July 3 Deluxe version details below...

Melody Gardot - "So Long" (from The Absence)

Melody Gardot - "Amalia" (from The Absence)

DC NOTE: A deluxe CD and DVD version of The Absence will be available July 3. In addition to the full album will be a DVD including a 21-minute documentary, a version of "La Vie en Rose" (the Edith Piaf classic) along with a a short "making of" clip and two special acoustic versions of "Mira" and "Iemanja".

Melody Gardot - "So Long" (from The Absence)

Melody Gardot - "Amalia" (from The Absence)