Dreamland (Madeleine Peyroux album)

Dreamland
Studio album by Madeleine Peyroux
Released	October 1, 1996
Studio	RPM (New York City) [a] Unique (New York City) [b] Kampo (New York City) [c] EastSide (New York City) [c]
Genre	Jazz
Length	39:41
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Yves Beauvais Greg Cohen
Madeleine Peyroux chronology
Dreamland (1996) Got You on My Mind (2004)

Dreamland is the debut studio album by American singer Madeleine Peyroux, released on October 1, 1996, by Atlantic Records.

The album debuted at No. 36 on Billboard 's Heatseekers Albums chart on February 8, 1997, and fell to No. 46 the following week. ^{[1] [2]} As of January 2005, it had sold 200,000 copies worldwide. ^{[3] [4]}

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Robert Christgau	[6]
Tom Hull	B+ [7]
Orlando Sentinel	[8]

The Orlando Sentinel wrote: "For all its elegance, Peyroux's vocal style doesn't seem fully developed yet. However, on Dreamland, she shows exquisite taste and great promise." ^[8] Time said that "Peyroux has a bittersweet, brokenhearted alto; she lingers and slides off notes, finding emotion in the slow, sad fade rather than the obvious vocal burst." ^[9] Tucson Weekly called the album "a staggering mix of blues, folk and jazz styles." ^[10] City Pages concluded that Peyroux "can make the most exalted and exacting homages reflect the rustlings of her own soul." ^[11]

In December 2005, the Observer Music Monthly ranked the album at number 48 on their list of top 100 albums. ^[12]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Walkin' After Midnight"	Don Hecht Alan Block	4:49
2.	"Hey Sweet Man"	Madeleine Peyroux	4:03
3.	"I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter"	Joseph Young Fred Ahlert	3:43
4.	"(Getting Some) Fun Out of Life"	Joseph Burke Edgar Leslie	3:12
5.	"La Vie en rose"	Louiguy Édith Piaf	3:22
6.	"Always a Use"	Peyroux	2:42
7.	"A Prayer"	Euston Jones	2:37
8.	"Muddy Water"	Peter de Rose Harry Richman Joe Trent	3:31
9.	"Was I?"	Chick Endor Charlie Farrell	2:47
10.	"Dreamland"	Peyroux	3:31
11.	"Reckless Blues"	Bessie Smith Jack Gee	3:04
12.	"Lovesick Blues" (cover of "My Sweetie Went Away")	Smith Irving Mills Cliff Friend	2:20

Japanese promotional edition bonus track ^[13]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"At the Christmas Ball"	Fred Longshaw	3:18

Personnel

Musicians

• Madeleine Peyroux – vocals (all tracks); guitar (tracks 4, 8, 9, 12)
• Marc Ribot – electric guitar (tracks 1, 3, 10); Dobro (tracks 2, 6); acoustic guitar (track 5); banjo (track 9)
• James Carter – tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 3); bass clarinet (track 8)
• Charlie Giordano – Hammond B3 organ (track 1); harmonium (tracks 2, 7); accordion (tracks 5, 9); harpsichord (tracks 3, 10); Mellotron (track 10)
• Greg Cohen – bass (tracks 1, 9, 10); bass marimba (track 3); bowed bass (track 7); arrangement (tracks 1–3, 5–7, 9, 10, 12)
• Kenny Wollesen – drums (tracks 1, 3, 9, 10); percussion (track 1); parade cymbals, marching bass drum (track 7)
• Marcus Printup – trumpet (tracks 2, 7)
• Cyrus Chestnut – piano (tracks 4, 8, 11)
• Steve Kirby – bass (tracks 4, 8)
• Leon Parker – drums (track 4); cymbal (track 8)
• Regina Carter – violin (tracks 5, 9)
• Vernon Reid – electric guitar (track 8)
• Larry Saltzman – electric guitar (track 10)

Technical

• Michael Krowiak – engineering (tracks 1–3, 5–7, 9, 10, 12)
• Michael O'Reilly – engineering (tracks 4, 8, 11); mixing (all tracks)
• Ted Jensen – mastering
• Yves Beauvais – production
• Greg Cohen – production
• Rachael Fite – production coordination

Artwork

• Thomas Bricker – art direction
• Lynn Kowalewski – design
• Daniel Miller – photography

Charts

Chart performance for Dreamland

Chart (1997)	Peak position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [14]	36

Notes

1. Tracks 1–3, 5–7, 9, 10 and 12
2. Tracks 4, 8 and 11
3. Additional tracking

References

1. Billboard's Heatseekers Album chart. February 8, 1997. p. 15.
2. Billboard's Heatseekers Album chart. February 15, 1997. p. 21.
3. Leopold, Todd (January 12, 2005). "The singer who disappeared". CNN. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012.
4. Trickey, Erick (November 15, 2004). "Madeleine Peyroux". ArborWeb . Archived from the original on December 13, 2010.
5. "Dreamland Review by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
6. "Madeleine Peyroux". Robert Christgau. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
7. "Madeleine Peyroux: Dreamland". Tom Hull. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
8. Gettelman, Parry (November 22, 1996). "Madeleine Peyroux". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 10.
9. Farley, Christopher John (October 14, 1996). "A Holiday All Her Own". Time. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011.
10. Danehy, Tom (February 27, 1997). "Quick Scans". Tucson Weekly.
11. Robson, Britt (January 1, 1997). "Dreamland by Madeleine Peyroux". City Pages. Archived from the original on September 30, 2010.
12. "Countdown: the OMM top 100 albums". Observer Music Monthly . December 18, 2005. Archived from the original on January 29, 2006.
13. Dreamland Japan 13-track promo sample CD eil.com
14. "Madeleine Peyroux Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2023.