How I wish I could bring Tenderness, leavening,
And to bare the fact Of each heinous act To which I’ve been a part
Oh my black American heart
What I’d give and unlearn Should some peace and concern
Fill this empty dread Along the wire we tread Between fear and disgrace
Oh my red American face
Would my life be in vain If in strife - or some small pain -
I gave up my right To this greed and spite Then, what might begin?
Oh my white American skin
Endlessly journeying Yet to hear freedom ring
Must we all be tossed On our nation’s cross For Truth to be whole?
Oh my lost American soul No More
“Let us advance our mortal bodies up Where hearts and minds will go Let’s walk, let’s roll.”
So sings Madeleine Peyroux on the upbeat title track of her captivating ninth album, Let’s Walk, the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s most assured, courageous work to date. Powered by the distinctive, honeyed croon that delivered her from the Paris streets to concert halls, these ten unabashedly personal songs, all co-written by the versatile Peyroux, deftly interweave jazz, folk, and chamber pop, with themes ranging from the confessional to the political, from whimsy to yearning. In every note, Peyroux digs deep, rendering this exquisite work with the disarming grace and gravitas of an artist in peak form.