The value of humanity: "Currency Of Man" by Melody Gardot For her new album "Currency Of Man", Melody Gardot and her producer Larry Klein set out to create a soundtrack to the lives of various characters. To do this, Gardot is entering new musical territory in several respects. A soundtrack about values and human dignity Meldoy Gardot draws inspiration for her albums from the places she travels to and experiences. This time, her songs on "Currency of Man" are less about personal experience. Instead, she uses her lyrics to comment on observations she made in Los Angeles, where she met many people struggling to survive on the margins of society. This album means a lot to Gardot because it is her plea for human dignity: for the justification and value of the individual. Together with Larry Klein, she conceived the work as a continuous narrative and musical line. In order to be able to release this overall concept in its entirety, an 'Artist's Cut' is being released as a deluxe edition. Melody Gardot's new sound Melody Gardot and Larry Klein were advised on the equipment by French engineer Maxime Le Guil. Analog equipment, old microphones, tube amplifiers and real tapes ensure soft crackling and warm tones on the new CD. For "Currency of Man", Melody Gardot also had her grand piano and subsequently all the instruments in the production tuned down from 440Hz to 432Hz. Deviations from the standardized 440-heart tuning are usually only found in the so-called historical performance practice of classical music. Melody is convinced that the altered, lower tuning produces different resonances in musicians and listeners. For her, this sound is both more relaxing and more refreshing. The "currency of man" is the mutual respect we have for each other. This important theme should resonate and create reverberation. The effect of the technique and the mood supports this statement. The cast of "Currency of Man" On her new album, Melody Gardot can be heard more often on the electric guitar than on the grand piano. The band's electric guitars are complemented by esoteric orchestral sounds, wind instruments and a pulsating bass. Stylistically, "Currency of Man" is located somewhere between jazz, blues and R'n'B. Gardot herself describes the sound as unusual. As it is conceived as a fictional film score, Gardot and Larry Klein also add everyday sounds from the world of the protagonists. The song "Preacherman", which is about the fate of Emmit Till, also features a choir made up of Melody Gardot's Facebook fans. In contrast to the retro recording technique of the rest of the album, over 100 audio tracks provided by her fans were put together for this choir. Familiar and new Long-time fans of Melody Gardot will also find familiar things on "Currency of Man". Her warm, unique voice and her songwriting merge in "No Man's Prize", for example, into a song that stylistically captures the sound of the American Songbook. She follows on from the beautiful ballads of earlier albums with "If Ever I Recall Your Face". "Don't Misunderstand", "Same To You" and "It Gonna Come" offer the deepest blues and solid grooves in the new sound. The cheerful tracks on the album are "Morning Sun" and "Once I Was Loved". Masterpiece With "Currency of Man", Melody Gardot presents an accessible album on a profound subject. She sets the deliberately simple lyrics to sophisticated music and combines them into an imaginary musical movie. Melody Gardot has found a way to appeal to the humanity of her listeners through music. A great success. in 2015, Melody Gardot released her fourth studio album "Currency of Man", which was nominated for a Grammy and reached high chart positions in many countries (Germany: number 11). Produced by the legendary Larry Klein, the album was praised for expanding Gardot's pop/jazz ballad repertoire with earthier, groovier songs. The "10 Year Anniversary Edition" includes two Zoetrope picture discs that animate elements of the album artwork as the turntable spins. Two 140g LPs in a gatefold sleeve.