Jazz   Melody Gardot Reviewed by Melissa Minners                         One day, while picking up some coffee from a local Starbucks, I glanced over and noticed something called the Pick of the Week.  Starbucks, in conjunction with iTunes, offers up a free mp3 song every Tuesday and this week’s pick happened to be Who Will Comfort Me by Melody Gardot.  After listening to Who Will Comfort Me, I was intrigued and decided to check out more of Melody Gardot’s music.             At the age of nineteen, while riding her bicycle, Melody was struck by a car causing some rather serious injuries.  It was suggested that music therapy might be the best way to recuperate from some of the injuries and improve cognitive function.  It was music therapy that inspired Philadelphian Melody Gardot to become a musician in her own right.  Citing influences such as Janis Joplin, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Carol King and more, Gardot mostly concentrates on jazz and blues in her music.             When I first heard Who Will Comfort Me, I realized that Melody Gardot had a very distinctive sound.  There was something very vintage jazz in her sound and yet there was also something very new there.  I set out in search of other songs by Melody Gardot and discovered that there wasn’t a single one that I didn’t enjoy.  Cry Wolf is a sad song about a relationship with someone who can’t seem to be honest.  Gardot’s voice on this track is very reminiscent of another singer I love - Jenny Beck.  Her voice is also somewhat reminiscent of Norah Jones as witnessed in Who Will Comfort Me and Wicked Ride.             Melody Gardot’s sound would be absolutely perfect for movie soundtracks.  I can imagine hearing Gardot’s smooth sounds in the background as a main character reflects on something pivotal that has just taken place in their lives.              There is a smooth and sincere quality to Melody Gardot’s vocals that is at once soothing and captivating.  I’m surprised that I had never heard of the artist prior to that day in the Starbucks coffeehouse, but I‘m thankful that her song was the Pick of the Week.  Thanks to Starbucks and iTunes, Melody Gardot just earned herself a new fan!    For feedback, visit our message board or e-mail the author at talonkarrde@g-pop.net.