Madeleine Peyroux | "Careless Love" | Available September 27 via Craft Recordings

Madeleine Peyroux’s Breakthrough 2004 Album,

Careless Love, Set for Deluxe Reissue

Special Edition Includes Previously Unreleased

2005 Set from Spain’s Festival de Jazz de Vitoria-Gasteiz,

Plus Fan-Favorites “Don’t Wait Too Long” and

“Dance Me to the End of Love”

Acclaimed Jazz Vocalist to Embark on Global

Careless Love Forever Tour This Fall (Dates Below)

Available Digitally and on 2-CD Set on August 27,

Plus Triple-Gatefold 180-gram 3-LP Set Available September 17

All Available for Pre-Order Now

Craft Recordings announces the deluxe reissue of Madeleine Peyroux’s best-selling 2004 album, Careless Love. The expanded reissue will be available digitally and on 2-CD on August 27, with a triple-gatefold 180-gram 3-LP edition following on September 17, all formats available to pre-order now. The collection includes the acclaimed, original album, plus a previously unreleased live set, captured in its entirety in 2005 at Spain’s Festival de Jazz de Vitoria-Gasteiz. Both physical editions include recently unearthed photos, captured during Careless Love’s original release, plus new liner notes from the GRAMMY® Award-winning journalist Ashley Kahn, who recently spoke to Peyroux about the making of the album and her triumphant performance in Spain. In addition to the widely available standard 3-LP edition, a limited pressing on translucent vinyl with black and gold marble will be available exclusively via the official Madeleine Peyroux or Craft Recordings webstores (1,000 available worldwide). Fans can get a first listen with the advance singles, “Don’t Wait Too Long (Live),” “I Hear Music (Live)” and “Dance Me to the End of Love (Live),” all available now (stream/download here).

To celebrate the reissue, Madeleine Peyroux is scheduled to return to the road on an extensive Careless Love Forever world tour, kicking off September 3 at the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival in Orkney Springs, VA. The tour will find Peyroux playing classic material from Careless Love, in addition to songs from her wider catalog, with dates to continue through August 2022. Visit MadeleinePeyroux.com for ticket information.

Released eight years after her debut, Careless Love marked a new chapter for the then-30-year-old Peyroux. Born in Athens, GA to bohemian parents, Peyroux spent her teenage years in Paris, where she found herself entranced by the city’s busking musicians. By 15, the precocious singer was performing alongside them in the city’s Latin Quarter and soon dropped out of high school to tour Europe full-time. When she returned to the States in her 20s, Peyroux settled in New York, where she was discovered —and promptly signed—by Atlantic Records’ Yves Beauvais, who co-produced her 1996 debut, Dreamland.

Immediately, Peyroux caught the attention of the music world, drawing comparisons to one of the greatest jazz vocalists in history, Billie Holiday. Yet, amid a whirlwind of buzz and critical acclaim, the young artist withdrew from the spotlight.

“When I came back to New York to make that first album I was like a deer in the headlights,” Peyroux tells Kahn. “It was my first time in a studio, my first time back in America. Then 9/11 happened. Then George W. got re-elected. It was like the world was going crazy. After Dreamland I had signed with Sony and I was trying to make my second record. I was broke and I didn’t know what I was going to do next.”

In addition to undergoing vocal cord surgery, the young artist entered a period of exploration—one in which she literally and figuratively found her voice. She set out across America to reconnect with her home country, but she also spent a lot of that time in self-reflection. “I put a lot of thought into what my career means,” Peyroux recalls, “what making a record and the follow-up tour represents—the kind of music I wanted to do and the amount of work that is involved.”

By 2004, she was ready to return to the studio. Peyroux signed a contract with Rounder Records and was introduced to Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock, Shawn Colvin), a legendary producer with whom she would form a long-lasting creative partnership. Klein’s sonically diverse background would also prove to be the perfect match for the singer-songwriter.

While Peyroux was introduced as a jazz artist, her influences spanned far beyond one genre—and the compositions selected for Careless Love showcased this versatility. From inspired interpretations of songs by Elliot Smith (“Between the Bars”), Leonard Cohen (“Dance Me to the End of Love”), and Hank Williams (“Weary Blues”), to more traditional fare made famous by Bessie Smith (“Don’t Cry Baby”), Billie Holiday (“No More,” “I’ll Look Around”), and Josephine Baker (“J’ai Deux Amours”), Careless Love offered something for every music fan.

In the studio, Peyroux was joined by a talented line-up of session musicians, including guitarist Dean Parks, keyboardist Larry Goldings, bassist David Piltch, trumpeter Lee Thornburg, and drummers Jay Bellerose and Scott Amendola. The laid-back Los Angeles sessions afforded the artist plenty of time to experiment and improvise with her fellow musicians.

Kahn writes, “Peyroux herself is in top, mature form on Careless Love—an apotheosis of that hushed, one-to-one affect she inherited from the likes of Billie Holiday, a stylistic bequest. By 2004, her way of conveying confessional expression was truly her own. She had developed an updated rhythmic pliability and an emotional depth that could explore the complexities lying beneath the surface of the songs.”

The album also included one original song, co-written by Jesse Harris (Norah Jones, Melody Gardot), “Don’t Wait Too Long.” The lilting, jazz-infused tune, in which Peyroux croons “If you think that time will change your ways/Don’t wait too long” could have certainly served as a personal anthem. It also became her signature hit. Released as a single, the song pushed Peyroux into the mainstream—topping the Jazz charts and appearing in soundtracks, TV shows, and national commercials.

Careless Love was a commercial and critical success as well, cementing Peyroux’s return to the industry. In the US, the album sold more than 500,000 copies in its first year—hitting No.2 on Billboard’s Jazz chart and, eventually, earning a platinum certification. Rivaling the sales of a pop record, the album was also a bestseller abroad, landing in the Top Ten in the UK, and earning Gold and Platinum certifications in Europe, South America, and China.

All About Jazz hailed Careless Love as “a moody, haunting masterpiece” and “a whale of a record. Peyroux’s voice is amazing—grainy, intimate, and unaffected.” No Depression noted that “a more self-defined Peyroux sound emerges—smooth, circling around midrange notes, energized, and built on her own smart reading of the lyric, not anyone else’s patterns.” The Guardian praised its “classily produced and coolly graceful set,” as well as its “intelligent choice of terrific songs.”

For the next year, Peyroux spent much of her time on the road in support of Careless Love, recording the majority of her shows from the soundboard. Among these dates is a standout set from Spain’s Vitoria-Gasteiz Jazz Festival, captured by Basque Public Radio on July 15, 2005. “You can hear how much fun we’re having, and the people sound really happy,” Peyroux reflects in the liner notes. “I think I was pretty nervous, playing in such a prestigious festival in one of these daunting, historic-looking places that was so large. At the time, a venue holding 2000 was a lot for me.”

In addition to material from Careless Love, the set also includes a rousing performance of “Walkin’ After Midnight,” originally made famous by Patsy Cline and featured on Dreamland, plus a fantastic rendition of the Burton Lane/Frank Loesser pop standard, “I Hear Music.”

Originally issued via Rounder Records’ in 2004, the Careless Love reissue concept was initially planned as part of a special series commemorating the legendary roots label’s 50th anniversary in 2020. However, the release timeline pushed back due to Covid-19 related production delays, as well as working around the opportunity to fully celebrate the record with the Careless Love Forever World Tour. Says label producer Scott Billington, “a reissue of Careless Love seemed like it was long overdue. We approached Madeleine and her manager about the concept, and they brought up the exciting idea of a concurrent tour. Since there were no alternate takes or unissued songs from the original sessions, we began searching for a contemporaneous concert recording, and were lucky to finally find her 2005 set from the Vitoria Gasteiz Jazz Festival in Spain. We included everything from the set, presented in the same order as the performance. We were also able to find the original photo session for the album, by the late photographer Andrew MacNaughtan, to help create a special package.”

Peyroux adds, “I can’t tell you how grateful I am that we found this recording. For me, it represents the way I understood these songs at that time, how I was making music when I made Careless Love. It’s been more than fifteen years since that record came out, and I don’t think I’ve done a single concert that didn’t include at least two or three songs from it, and sometimes more. I think I’ve sung ‘Dance Me to the End of Love’ at every show. It’s part of me now.”

16 years later, Peyroux continues to record, perform, and challenge the confines of jazz through such albums as Half the Perfect World (2006), Standing on the Rooftop (2011), and The Blue Room (2013). In 2014, she released a career retrospective, Keep Me in Your Heart for a While: Best of Madeleine Peyroux, while in 2016, she released her eighth studio album and latest collaboration with Larry Klein, Anthem.

Click here to pre-order Careless Love (Deluxe Edition) on 3-LP, 2-CD and digital formats, and visit MadeleinePeyroux.com for exclusive merchandise and more information on the tour.

Disc 1:

Dance Me to the End of Love
Don’t Wait Too Long
Don’t Cry Baby
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Between the Bars
No More
Lonesome Road
J’ai Deux Amours
Weary Blues
I’ll Look Around
Careless Love
This Is Heaven to Me

Disc 2:

Dance Me to the End of Love (Live)*
Don’t Cry Baby (Live)*
Don’t Wait Too Long (Live)*
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Live)*
Between the Bars (Live)*
J’ai Deux Amours (Live)*
Walking After Midnight (Live)*
No More (Live)*
Lonesome Road (Live)*
I Hear Music (Live)*
I’ll Look Around (Live)*
Careless Love (Live)*
Destination Moon (Live)*
This is Heaven to Me (Live)*

*Previously unreleased. Recorded at Festival de Jazz de Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, July 15, 2005.

Careless Love Forever Tour Dates

September 3 – Orkney Springs, CA at Shenandoah Valley Music Festival

September 9 – Albany, NY at The Egg

September 10 – Northampton, MA at Academy of Music Theatre

September 11 – Alexandria, VA at The Birchmere

September 12 – Annapolis, MD at Rams Head Live On Stage

September 16 – Glenside, PA at Keswick Theatre

September 17 – Beverly, MA at The Cabot

September 18 – New York, NY at Alder Hall @ NY Society for Ethical Culture

September 19 – New London, CT at The Garde Arts Center

September 21 –Pittsburgh, PA at Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts

September 22 – Harrisburg, PA at Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts

September 24 – Kent, OH at Kent Stage

September 25 – Cincinnati, OH at Ludlow Garage

September 26 – Chicago, IL at Old Town School of Folk Music

September 27 – Minneapolis, MN at Pantages Theatre

September 29 – Omaha, NE at Kiewit Hall

September 30 – Kansas City, MO at Helzberg Hall / Kauffmann Center for the Performing Arts

October 1 – Nashville, TN at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville

October 2 – Atlanta, GA at Variety Playhouse

October 4 – Hoover, AL at The Library Theatre

October 5 – Hoover, AL at The Library Theatre

October 7 – Eugene, OR at The Shedd Institute

October 8 – Seattle, WA at Benaroya Hall

October 9 – Portland, OR at Revolution Hall

October 10 – Spokane, WA at Bing Crosby Theatre

October 13 – Santa Cruz, CA at Rio Theatre

October 14 – Rohnert Park, CA at The Green Music Center

October 15 – Berkeley, CA at Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse

October 16 – Beverly Hills, CA at Saban Theatre

About Rounder Records:

Originally issued via Rounder Records’ in 2005, the genesis of this Careless Love reissue concept was as part of a special series commemorating the legendary roots label’s 50th anniversary in 2020; with the timeline pushed back due to Covid-19 related production delays, as well as working around the opportunity to fully celebrate the record with the Careless Love Forever World Tour.

Rounder Records is one of the world’s most historic Americana and bluegrass record labels. Alongside Madeleine Peyroux, Rounder’s rich catalog includes critically-acclaimed offerings by iconic artists like Gregg Allman, Alison Krauss, and Steve Martin as well as rising stars Samantha Fish, Sierra Hull, I’m With Her, Sarah Jarosz, Ruston Kelly, the SteelDrivers, Billy Strings, and The War And Treaty.

Rounder has consistently demonstrated a commitment to nurture and develop careers over the long haul—a number of artists who got their start at Rounder are still recording with the label today, including Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, and George Thorogood. A leader in the preservation of precious historic recordings, Rounder has brought the music of the Carter Family, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, and Jelly Roll Morton back to vibrant life and released epic anthologies from the Library of Congress and the Alan Lomax Collection that have been universally acclaimed.

About Craft Recordings:

Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Joan Baez, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, R.E.M., Joan Sebastian, and Traveling Wilburys. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Evanescence, Alison Krauss, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers.

Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord Recorded Music.

For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on:

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify.

Madeleine Peyroux | Careless Love

Craft Recordings | Release Date: August 27, 2021

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DL Media · 610-420-8470

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