The release of the song “This Foolish Heart Could Love You” anticipates the release of Melody Gardot’s 6th studio album “Entre eux deux”. Following the celebrated success of “Sunset in the Blue”, Gardot now joins forces with pianist and composer Phillipe Powell for her first-ever studio album in duo.
The album “Entre eux deux” showcases Gardot continuing her spirit of collaboration with fellow artist Philippe Powell. Offering a unique minimalist approach, the ten-song album is a sparse architectural landscape filled exclusively by piano & voice (tuned to 432hz which also the tuning used in the album “Currency of Man”) Notably, it is also the first time that Gardot invited someone to take her usual place for the duration of the recording at the helm of the piano.
French-born, composer and pianist, Powell and Gardot have joined forces to create an album where many of the songs sound as if they came straight out of the Great American Songbook. The only twist of lime is that at times, these “new standards” offer a Gershwinian nod to what could be otherwise dubbed the “Great French Songbook”, since several titles are in the language of the city where they were conceived (France).
In these French songs, we find Gardot and Powell in full-swing on an original song cleverly dedicated to the Eifell Tower “mais si l’on cherche une romance encore plus belle, on vas s’embrasser à La Tour Eifell, then a comical play-by-play on how best to deliver flowers to a woman “surtout pas les fleurs Dimanche Matin…”, and finally, a French love story revisited on “Plus Fort que Nous” from the French cinema classic “Un Homme et Une Femme” / Claude Lelouche.
The backstory of the album resembles what one could envision as a brief stint at Warhol’s factory. Challenging themselves to create on the clock, these two artists joined forces for a period of two weeks, writing all hours of the day, sharing melodies, motifs and lyrics. While original songs were the main objective, paying tribute was also part of the game. Revisiting the the legacy of Philippe’s father ( Brazilian composer/guitarist Baden Powell ) these two also proudly carry the Franco-Brazilian torch that was lit so many year ago between celebrated artists Pierre Barout, Vinicius DeMoraes and Baden Powell. The nod to the past is clearly seen while interpreting the title “Samba em Preludio (Un Jour sans toi)” with Powell and Gardot singing for the second time in duet.
Entre eux deux is an impeccably crafted collection of songs shining a spotlight on both artists in their lane as composers and performers. Gardot’s mellifluous vocals, Powell’s consummate piano technique and a seemingly telepathic connection between two distinctive musical voices make this record feel like an instant classic.
