Album: Madeleine Peyroux, Standing on the Rooftop (Emarcy / Decca)

Her last album introduced the concept of Peyroux the full-blown auteur.

This one is supposed to represent another step into the realm of authorship. All songs are written by the Georgian Billie Holiday, apart from the three provided by Lennon/McCartney, Robert Johnson and WH Auden/Marc Ribot. But the main signifier is Peyroux's sound, now as downhome as a chicken shack and artfully haunted as a Cassandra Wilson session. Tasteful.