My One and Only Thrill

Although the plaudits for Melody Gardot's debut album, WORRISOME HEART, were entirely justified, it sometimes seemed as if the young singer-songwriter's compelling personal story--hit by a car and severely injured at the age of 19, the aspiring fashion designer began playing piano and writing songs as part of her physical therapy--overshadowed her music. Gardot's second album, MY ONE AND ONLY THRILL, dispells that sense entirely: this gorgeous collection of lavishly orchestrated jazz-pop ballads is the work of a genuinely talented singer-songwriter. Gardot's melodic sense is greatly matured: opening track "Baby I'm A Fool" and "Lover Undercover" have the feel of new standards in the making. Similarly, she's a more expressive and self-assured singer, with a canny sense of timing and a sultry lower register that's particularly suited to a Julie London-style kittenish purr, as on "Our Love Is Easy." MY ONE AND ONLY THRILL is one of 2009's best jazz vocal releases.