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Madeleine Peyroux at Symphony Hall
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Madeleine Peyroux does not gush, neither does she rush. Her stage presence can be a bit tentative, even when she is trying to be enthusiastic, and her singing is going to proceed at exactly the pace she wants it to, whether that confounds her audience’s expectations or gives them pleasant surprises.
Peyroux’s first concert in Atlanta in years — it had been so long, “you probably didn’t know I was around,” she joked/apologized Saturday night — was an evening of offbeat and off-the-beat approaches to the artsier end of the pop music spectrum: Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman, Bob Dylan.
Dylan is particularly apropos. For years he has been challenging his fans by re-inventing his material, changing tempos, melodies and even the basic chord structures until some songs are almost unrecognizable. Peyroux didn’t go quite that far, but she threw some serious change-ups. Her three CDs have been warmly embraced for their languid takes on an eclectic range of jazz, blues and country, but always within an accessible, toe-tapping range. She’s been praised for her sometimes eerie musical resemblance to Billie Holliday, and knocked, by some, for being part of the Starbucks Light genre of EZ listening pop.
On Saturday night, she came on more playful and inventive than on her CDs. On several songs, such as “Everybody’s Talking” and Dylan’s “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go,” she sang in one tempo while her back-up band — four accomplished jazzmen, all in basic beatnik black — played a completely different tempo. The result could be discordant and challenging, but on those songs, hardly accessible. On other songs, like “Don’t Wait Too Long,” she lagged so far behind the beat in her line readings that it seemed almost a game how far behind she could get and still catch up.
“Don’t fall asleep,” Peyroux joked at one point. To make sure that wouldn’t happen, she sometimes goosed the audience with higher-energy numbers. “I’m All Right,” a fun song to a feckless ex-love that she co-wrote, could have almost been taking place on the Grand Ole Opry stage, as Peyroux proved she can do more than sing like linen blowing in the breeze — she can belt.
The audience, eclectic with a heavy sprinkling of older hipsters with money, divided between a majority offering solid applause and a small but noticeable number who slipped out early, possibly non-plussed that this wasn’t the latte they had ordered.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Pop Music
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By a fan
March 6, 2007 8:22 AM | Link to this
I agree with the comments. Enjoyed the show but was wondering if there were sound issues. It almost seemed she (and the warmup act) were out of tune sometimes. For me the songs in the show were just too different. The band was amazing but the changes just didn’t do it for me.
By bb
March 6, 2007 9:15 AM | Link to this
Peyroux was fabulous! Who can’t enjoy a performer who has the inventiveness, playfulness, and creativity to play with the performance? Peyroux’s “jazzing” her jazz was the mark of a true musician, an intellectual sprite. I went expecting to hear music that I have enjoyed from her CDs. Instead I reveled in music that I had not heard from a true performer.
By Alla
March 6, 2007 9:29 AM | Link to this
We thought that, although she sings very well, her stage presence is awkward. I didn’t like that she was dressed in pants for a concert in a Symphony Hall. If it was a jazz club, fine. But it seems like a dress would be more appropriate for this venue. Also, I didn’t like that she spent a lot of time with her back to the audience, looking at her band. That isolates the viewers. Otherwise, her voice is great and the songs she sang were good too.
By Ray
March 6, 2007 10:28 AM | Link to this
Phil, were you at the same concert? Maybe you couldn’t make it, and a friend of yours filled you in? After all, you didn’t even accurately describe the attire of the band, much less the Madeleine’s performance. Her strong vocals, backed by outstanding musicianship, and unique (dare I add “accessible”?) takes on well-known songs made it a great concert. I know it is trendy for critics to be dismissive, but you need to wake up and smell the latte, pal.