Melody Gardot, my
goodness,
Oh yeah; for those of you not familiar with her, the sunglasses at night and odd posturing thing are not some kind of hipster affectations. She was a pedestrian hit-and-run victim, essentially left for dead, and had to endure a long period of reconstructive surgery and physical therapy, during which time she delved deep into music for relief. She is light sensitive, and has to sit in a certain way in a specially built chair on stage. Very smokey, Nina Simone-esque voice. Now, while I enjoy and respect all of the aforementioned old-school singers, I'd have to nominate the Walker Brother's Scott Walker from earlier in his career. I won't cite the usual suspect "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore", which was their only hit in the US(although they were huge in the UK with many smashes). Instead, I offer this Bacharach/David melodrama...
He later went solo, and issued a number of atmospheric artsy albums, this tune being a good example...
His career and art in the last 25-30 years has taken a very experimental and challenging(to say the least)path, probably an acquired taste for most, and his voice has gone through the changes to be expected with age, but I dig the stuff on its own merits, and he has found a new audience. This weighty piece from his more recent era may be the most accessible example I could come up with...
But if you're not afraid of getting way out there(and believe me, it can get even more extreme), try this on for size...
