With 2020's
Sunset in the Blue, singer
Melody Gardot sinks into a dusky and languorously produced album that builds upon her love of jazz standards, Brazilian music, and intimate balladry. The record finds
Gardot surrounded by a production dream team, including longtime associate
Larry Klein, who helmed 2009's
My One and Only Thrill and 2015's
Currency of Man, as well as equally acclaimed studio pros, arranger
Vince Mendoza and engineer
Al Schmitt. Together, they have crafted a showcase for
Gardot's delicately nuanced vocal style. The album is an interesting dichotomy, at once intimate as if
Gardot is singing to you in a small club, yet also widescreen, framing her hushed vocals in sweeping orchestrations that reinforce the romantic drama at play in the songs. The opening original "If You Love Me Let Me Know" sounds like something
Dinah Washington or
Abbey Lincoln might sing, but filtered through the half-lidded scrim of
Gardot's bedroom intimacy. Equally evocative moments follow, as on the yearning "You Won't Forget Me," in which
Gardot balances a wry cabaret theatricality a la
Marlene Dietrich with a tangible sadness that never feels anything but real. Elsewhere, she gently wades into a handful of earthy bossa nova songs, including a gorgeously attenuated reading of the
Ella Fitzgerald number "C'est Magnifique" featuring Brazilian singer
Antonio Zambujo and an original titled "Ninguem, Ninguem" that she sings in Portuguese. We also get a movie theme-ready version of "From Paris with Love," as well as memorable takes on classics like "Moon River" and "I Fall in Love Too Easily." From beginning to end,
Gardot's
Sunset in the Blue holds you in its deeply rapturous glow. ~ Matt Collar
