My One and Only Thrill

My One and Only Thrill
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 16, 2009 (2009-03-16)
Studio
  • Sage & Sound (Hollywood)
  • Market Street (Santa Monica, California)
  • Capitol (Hollywood)[a]
Genre
Length48:07
Label
ProducerLarry Klein
Melody Gardot chronology
Live from SoHo
(2009)
My One and Only Thrill
(2009)
The Absence
(2012)
Singles from My One and Only Thrill
  1. "Who Will Comfort Me"
    Released: March 17, 2009
  2. "Baby I'm a Fool"
    Released: April 7, 2009
  3. "Your Heart Is as Black as Night"
    Released: February 22, 2011[1]

My One and Only Thrill is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Melody Gardot. It was released on March 16, 2009, by Verve Records.[2] Three singles were released from the album: "Who Will Comfort Me", "Baby I'm a Fool", and "Your Heart Is as Black as Night". All tracks are original, except "Over the Rainbow" (originally performed by Judy Garland in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz), which is included as a tribute to her grandmother.[3] It features string arrangements by Vince Mendoza, who, along with producer Larry Klein, is known for his works with Joni Mitchell. My One and Only Thrill received three Grammy Award nominations: Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for the title track (Mendoza), Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical (Helik Hadar and Al Schmitt), and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical (Klein). The album has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.[4]

A deluxe edition was released in November 2009, which consists of a digipak including an orchestral version of "If the Stars Were Mine" and an additional EP with five tracks recorded live at a radio concert in Paris, as well as an extended booklet.[5] A second deluxe edition, the Starwatch edition, was released in November 2010. This version includes three bonus "Chill Out Mix" tracks and instead of the live EP it includes the Bye Bye Blackbird EP, four tracks recorded with British jazz guitarist David Preston.[6]

Composition

[edit]

Keeping the dark piano jazz style, the album incorporates several elements of samba and Brazilian music, which Gardot considers major influences. Regarding the slightly quiet and always smooth sound, she was quoted saying that, because of her health problems, not many instruments could be used. She added that it was a very logical process.[3] The album is mainly sung in English, except for the French-language track "Les étoiles" ("The Stars").

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic71/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
All About Jazz[9]
The Guardian[10]
laut.de[11]
Mojo[7]
Q[7]
Uncut[7]
The Times[12]
Toronto Star[13]
Tom HullB+[14]

My One and Only Thrill received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 71, based on 10 reviews.[7]

AllMusic remarked that "These are slight, subtle progressions but what impresses is how thoroughly My One and Only Thrill lives up to the promise of her debut, offering another album that is as enchanting in its sound as it is in its substance", awarding the album with four out of five stars.[8] The Times gave the album four out of five stars and described it as "an exceptional album and anyone who thought the great age of the torch singer was long over should lend an ear".[12] Ian Patterson writing for All About Jazz added, "Gardot blurs the line between the beauty and pain of loving; hope and hopelessness are thinly disguised mirror images, and romance can be something as elusive as mist, but yet something powerful and all consuming. These songs are poems of beautiful and affecting simplicity, and they leave a taste that is wonderfully bitter sweet."[9]

Michael Quinn of BBC commented, "My One and Only Thrill is the spellbinding follow up to Gardot's compelling debut, Worrisome Heart, and eloquently confirms her as a supreme songwriting talent possessed of a truly sublime voice."[15] Will Layman of PopMatters observed, "Melody Gardot is singer with a great sound -- intimate rather than overblown, tinged with smoke rather than hype, a retro-ish kind of now. My One and Only Thrill is a quiet, blue-tinged collection of ten original songs and one choice cover. It is a sophisticated, jazz-steeped pop record..."[16]

Commercial performance

[edit]

My One and Only Thrill debuted at number 42 on the US Billboard 200 with 11,000 copies sold in its first week, earning Gardot her highest-peaking album on the chart (until The Absence reached number 33 in 2012), as well as her best sales week.[17][18] By April 2010, the album had sold 117,000 copies in the United States.[19] The album debuted at number 40 on the UK Albums Chart for the week ending March 28, 2009,[20] eventually peaking at number 12 in late May 2009.[21] It was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on July 22, 2013, denoting shipments in excess of 100,000 copies.[22]

The album was successful across continental Europe, where it reached number one in Sweden, as well as the top five in Belgium's Wallonia region, France, Germany, and Norway, the top 10 in Denmark, and the top 20 in Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland.[23][24] As of April 2015, My One and Only Thrill had sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.[25]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Melody Gardot, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Baby I'm a Fool" 3:30
2."If the Stars Were Mine" 2:48
3."Who Will Comfort Me" 4:56
4."Your Heart Is as Black as Night" 2:42
5."Lover Undercover" 4:24
6."Our Love Is Easy"Gardot, Jesse Harris5:28
7."Les Etoiles" 3:18
8."The Rain"Gardot, Jesse Harris3:21
9."My One and Only Thrill" 6:10
10."Deep Within the Corners of My Mind" 3:19
11."Over the Rainbow"Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg4:33
12."If the Stars Were Mine" (orchestral version) 3:13
iTunes Store and Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Pretend I Don't Exist"Gardot, Jesse Harris3:09
Deluxe edition bonus EP: Live in Paris
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."The Rain"Gardot, Jesse Harris5:11
14."Ain't No Sunshine"Bill Withers5:41
15."Baby I'm a Fool" 3:42
16."My One and Only Thrill" 6:28
17."Love Me Like a River Does" 6:12
Starwatch edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Our Love Is Easy" (Chill Out Mix)Gardot, Jesse Harris4:46
14."Baby I'm a Fool" (Chill Out Mix) 4:35
15."My One and Only Thrill" (Chill Out Mix) 6:19
Starwatch edition bonus EP: Bye Bye Blackbird
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Get Out of Town"Cole Porter3:03
2."Someday My Prince Will Come"lyrics: Larry Morey; music: Frank Churchill1:12
3."Bye Bye Blackbird"lyrics: Mort Dixon; music: Ray Henderson3:11
4."Summertime"lyrics: DuBose Heyward, Ira Gershwin; music: George Gershwin3:56

Personnel

[edit]
  • Melody Gardot – guitar, piano, vocals
  • Gary Foster – alto saxophone
  • Bryan Rogers – tenor saxophone, backing vocals
  • Larry Goldings – Hammond B3 organ
  • Patrick Hughes – trumpet, backing vocals
  • Andy Martin – trombone
  • Behn Gillece – vibraphone
  • Nico Abondolo – double bass
  • Drew Dembowski – double bass
  • Larry Klein – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Ken Pendergast – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Vinnie Colaiuta – drums
  • Charlie Patierno – drums, backing vocals
  • Paulinho da Costa – percussion

Strings

  • Harp – Amy Shulma, Marcia Dickstein
  • Cello – Ira Glansheek, Christina Soule, Cecilia Tsan, Larry Corbett
  • Violin – Joel Derouin, Roberto Cani, Audrey Solomon, Darius Campo, Kevin Connolly, Katia Popov, Liane Mautner, Miran Kojian, Natalie Leggett, Robin Olson, Irina Voloshina
  • Viola – Dave Walther, Roland Kato, Alma Fernandez, Samuel Formicola, Jody Rubin

Production

  • Larry Klein – producer
  • Helix Hadar – engineer
  • Al Schmitt – mixing
  • Steve Genewick – mixing[26]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[67] Gold 35,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[68] Gold 15,000^
France (SNEP)[69] 2× Platinum 270,000[19]
Germany (BVMI)[70] Platinum 200,000^
Greece (IFPI Greece)[71] Gold 7,500^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[72] Gold 7,500^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[73] Platinum 30,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[74] Platinum 20,000*
Sweden (GLF)[75] 2× Platinum 80,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Gold 100,000*
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[76] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Strings

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Your Heart Is As Black As Night – Single by Melody Gardot". iTunes Store. Germany.
  2. ^ "My One and Only Thrill". Amazon. United Kingdom. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Bernard, Zuel (May 2, 2009). "Melody Gardot should not be playing music". Brisbane Times. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  4. ^ "New CDs (Published 2009)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-11-26.
  5. ^ "My One and Only Thrill [Deluxe Edition]". Amazon. United States. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  6. ^ "Melody Gardot : releases : My One And Only Thrill (Deluxe Box Set)". Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d e "My One And Only Thrill by Melody Gardot Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Allmusic review
  9. ^ a b Patterson, Ian (June 27, 2009). "Melody Gardot: My One and Only Thrill album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  10. ^ "Melody Gardot: My One and Only Thrill". The Guardian. 2009-03-13. Archived from the original on 2022-12-08.
  11. ^ Schulz, Artur. "Sinnlichlichkeit und Sexyness" (in German). laut.de. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  12. ^ a b Bungey, John (March 13, 2009). "Melody Gardot: My One and Only Thrill". The Times. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  13. ^ Infantry, Ashante (28 April 2009). "My One and Only Thrill: Melody Gardot". Totonto Star. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Melody Gardot". Tom Hull. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  15. ^ Quinn, Michael (2009). "BBC - Music - Review of Melody Gardot - My One and Only Thrill". BBC. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  16. ^ Layman, Will (25 May 2009). "Melody Gardot: Mosaic: My One and Only Thrill". PopMatters. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  17. ^ "The Billboard 200". Billboard. Vol. 121, no. 19. May 16, 2009. p. 50. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via Google Books.
  18. ^ a b "Melody Gardot Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  19. ^ a b Pichevin, Aymeric (April 3, 2010). "Waiting For Gardot". Billboard. Vol. 122, no. 13. p. 31. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. March 22–28, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  21. ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  22. ^ a b "British album certifications – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill". British Phonographic Industry. July 22, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  23. ^ a b "Ultratop.be – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  24. ^ a b "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  25. ^ Ragogna, Mike (April 14, 2015). "Reality Check: A Quick Chat With Boy George, Plus Melody Gardot, Dylan Jakobsen and Radio Room Exclusives". HuffPost. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  26. ^ "My One and Only Thrill - Melody Gardot | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  27. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  28. ^ "ARIA Jazz & Blues Albums – Week Commencing 31st August 2009" (PDF). The ARIA Report (1018): 23. August 31, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-04. Retrieved February 6, 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  29. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  30. ^ "Ultratop.be – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  31. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  32. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  33. ^ "European Top 20 Charts – Week Commencing 1st June 2009" (PDF). Billboard. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-09-02. Retrieved February 24, 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  34. ^ "Melody Gardot: My One and Only Thrill" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  35. ^ "Lescharts.com – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  36. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  37. ^ "Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill". greekcharts.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  38. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Melody Gardot". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  39. ^ マイ・オンリー・スリル | メロディ・ガルドー [My One and Only Thrill | Melody Gardot] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  40. ^ "Charts.nz – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  41. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  42. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  43. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  44. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  45. ^ "Veckolista Jazz, vecka 29, 2009" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  46. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Melody Gardot – My One and Only Thrill". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  47. ^ "Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  48. ^ "Melody Gardot Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  49. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Jazz & Blues Albums 2009". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  50. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2009 – Albums" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  51. ^ "Album 2009 Top-100". Hitlisten.NU (in Danish). Archived from the original on September 26, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  52. ^ "Year End Charts – European Top 100 Albums". Billboard.biz. 2009. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  53. ^ "Classement Albums – année 2009" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  54. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2009" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  55. ^ "UK Year-End Charts 2009" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. p. 7. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  56. ^ "Jazz Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  57. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Jazz & Blues Albums 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  58. ^ "Album 2010 Top-100". Hitlisten.NU (in Danish). Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  59. ^ "Year End Charts – European Top 100 Albums". Billboard.biz. 2010. Archived from the original on October 3, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  60. ^ "Classement Albums – année 2010" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  61. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 2010" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  62. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2010" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  63. ^ "Jazz Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  64. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Jazz & Blues Albums 2011". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  65. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Jazz & Blues Albums 2012". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  66. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Jazz & Blues Albums 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  67. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 18, 2012.
  68. ^ "Guld og platin i november og december" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. January 4, 2010. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  69. ^ "Certifications Albums Double Platine – année 2009" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. December 21, 2009. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  70. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Melody Gardot; 'My One and Only Thrill')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  71. ^ "Ελληνικό Chart – Top 50 Ξένων Aλμπουμ" (in Greek). IFPI Greece.
  72. ^ "Latest Gold / Platinum Albums". Radioscope. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  73. ^ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  74. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2012 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. September 5, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  75. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2010" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. March 16, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  76. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2012". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
[edit]