The Absence (Melody Gardot album)

The Absence is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Melody Gardot. It was released on May 29, 2012, by Decca Records and produced by Heitor Pereira. The same year, Gardot participated in an advertisement campaign for Piaget for which she recorded the song "La Vie en rose". This song appeared on a re-release of The Absence which also included a music video and the making of the same track.

The Absence
Studio album by
Melody Gardot
ReleasedMay 29, 2012 (2012-05-29)
Genre
Length57:51
LabelDecca
ProducerHeitor Pereira
Melody Gardot chronology
My One and Only Thrill
(2009)		 The Absence
(2012)		 Currency of Man
(2015)
Singles from The Absence
  1. "Mira"
    Released: April 5, 2012[1]
  2. "Amalia"
    Released: April 6, 2012[2]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.7/10[3]
Metacritic77/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Absolute Sound[5]
AllMusic[6]
The Irish Times[7]
Jazz Forum[8]
laut.de[9]
The New Zealand Herald[10]
Mojo[4]
musicOMH[11]
The Telegraph[4]
Uncut[4]

Critical reception

Ceiri O'Douglas of musicOMH mentioned, "It’s important for some artists to be as diverse as possible. Melody Gardot‘s music primarily takes influence from jazz and blues, but she’s always taken in other styles of music. On her third album, The Absence, it’s a case of more of the same. She’s travelled a lot in support of her music (mostly thanks to her 2009 breakthrough, My One And Only Thrill), and it makes sense that other cultures should have inspired the creation of its follow-up."[11] Cormak Larkin of The Irish Times stated, "The persistent absence of clothing in her publicity photographs may suggest a flagging career but, in fact, New Jersey-born singer Melody Gardot doesn’t need to abandon her dignity to get our attention. The songs, which she writes herself, are refreshingly authentic – bittersweet laments for discarded lovers and misplaced innocence – and she sings them in a honeyed, breathy voice that has real musicality and an emotional directness that recalls Edith Piaf."[7]

Matt Collar writing for AllMusic added, "If Melody Gardot's 2009 sophomore effort, My One and Only Thrill, sustained the sultry, atmospheric vibe of her critically acclaimed 2006 debut, her 2012 follow-up, The Absence, is a bit of a creative departure for the vocalist. Apparently inspired by her world travels, and specifically by a trip that brought her to the desert around the city of Marrakech, the album moves her away from smoky, small-group jazz and into a bright, if still bedroom-eyed, rhythmically exotic sound."[6] Tony Nielsen of The New Zealand Herald added, "The music is mostly soft and beguiling, less in-your-face than her last album. The feel and overall direction of The Absence is easy to listen to without being bland."[10]

Commercial reception

A four-song EP, The Absence EP, was first released as an iTunes exclusive on May 15, 2012, serving as a preview for the album.[12] The EP debuted on the Top Jazz Albums at number eight.[13]

The album itself was released two weeks later on May 29, 2012. It debuted at number one on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums,[14] and at number 33 on Billboard 200,[15] selling 10,000 copies in its first week. The album had sold 51,000 copies in the US as of May 2015.[16] The album was certified platinum in France on November 14, 2012, signifying 100,000 copies sold.[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Melody Gardot, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mira" 4:16
2."Amalia"Gardot, Heitor Pereira, Phil Roy3:03
3."So Long" 3:50
4."So We Meet Again My Heartache" 4:32
5."Lisboa" 5:27
6."Impossible Love" 3:49
7."If I Tell You I Love You" 3:33
8."Goodbye"Gardot, Jesse Harris3:38
9."Se Você Me Ama"Gardot, Heitor Pereira4:56
10."My Heart Won't Have It Any Other Way" 2:34
11."Iemanja" (contains hidden track "Chegue Journeyman") 18:13
Total length:57:51
iTunes Store bonus tracks[18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Iemanja" 4:03
12."La Vie en rose"lyrics: Edith Piaf; music: Louiguy5:17
13."Mira" (Hamilton & Yamandu acoustic version) 5:09
14."Iemanja" (Hamilton & Yamundu acoustic version) 2:23
15."The Absence – Track by Track Commentary" 24:57
Total length:81:24
Japanese edition bonus tracks[19][20]
No.TitleLength
11."Iemanja"4:03
12."The Willow"7:00
Total length:50:20
Repack version bonus tracks[21]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Iemanja" 4:03
12."La Vie en rose"lyrics: Piaf; music: Louiguy5:19
13."La Vie en rose" (music video; Enhanced CD) 3:07
14."La Vie en rose" (making of; Enhanced CD) 4:45
Total length:48:49
Deluxe edition bonus DVD[22]
No.TitleLength
1."Mira" (Hamilton & Yamandu acoustic version)5:09
2."Iemanja" (Hamilton & Yamundu acoustic version)2:23
3."La Vie en rose"5:17
4."La Vie en rose" (making of)4:00
5."The Absence by Melody Gardot" (EPK film)21:00

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
France (SNEP)[17] Platinum 100,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[58] Gold 10,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Mira – Single by Melody Gardot". iTunes Store. Australia. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  2. "Amalia – Single by Melody Gardot". iTunes Store. United Kingdom. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  3. "The Absence by Melody Gardot reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  4. "The Absence by Melody Gardot". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  5. Valin, Jonathan (1 October 2012). "Melody Gardot: The Absence". The Absolute Sound. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  6. Collar, Matt (2020). "The Absence - Melody Gardot | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  7. Larkin, Cormac (25 May 2012). "Melody Gardot". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  8. Henrik, Lukazs. "The AbsenceMelody Gardot". Jazz Forum. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  9. Schulz, Artur (2012). "Sinnlichkeit mit dunklen Untertönen" (in German). laut.de.
  10. Nielsen, Tony (16 July 2012). "Album review: Melody Gardot - The Absence". NZ Herald. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  11. O'Douglas, Ceiri (27 May 2012). "Melody Gardot - The Absence | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  12. "Melody Gardot". Facebook. May 15, 2012.
  13. "Jazz Albums: June 2, 2012". Billboard.
  14. "Jazz Albums: June 16, 2012". Billboard.
  15. "Billboard 200: June 16, 2012". Billboard.
  16. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015.
  17. "Certifications Albums Platine – année 2012" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. November 14, 2012. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
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  47. "Swisscharts.com – Melody Gardot – The Absence". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
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