DREAMLAND is the debut album from Madeleine Peyroux, released in 1996 just as the singer was starting to register on the radar (due to her work with Paris-based groups Riverboat Shufflers and Lost Wandering Blues and Jazz Band). She took an eight-year hiatus between this album and CARELESS LOVE but you would hardly notice. In fact, this could very well pass for a newly recorded album.
DREAMLAND features Peyroux's Billie Holiday-esque vocals very prominently, with a selection of songs that leans towards the blues side of the spectrum. One minor difference between this album and Peyroux's subsequent releases is that the music has a more pronounced vintage quality, with some songs specifically calling to mind the music of New Orleans.
Backing the singer is an impressive assortment of session players, including Marc Ribot, Larry Saltzman and Charlie Giordano, whose work is elegant and a perfect accent to Peyroux's jazzy singing. Includes a great rendition of "La Vie En Rose."
