Madeleine Peyroux’s latest album, Let’s Walk, showcases her most diverse and personal collection to date. This singer-songwriter’s contemplative, observational, and confessional style weaves together jazz, blues, gospel, folk, Americana, and pop influences. Collaborating with long-time partner and multi-instrumentalist Jon Herington, Peyroux crafts 10 songs that oscillate between melancholy and hope.

The album opens with the catchy ‘Find True Love’, an invitation to persevere through life’s challenges in which delicate, finger-picked acoustic guitar entwines with sparkling keys. ‘How I Wish’, a slow, sorrowful waltz, offers a powerful reflection on America’s racial legacy. The title track, ‘Let’s Walk’, came to Peyroux in a dream (a rarity for her) – a moving hymn to unity and togetherness which draws inspiration from global civil rights movements, with a richly detailed arrangement which brings together gospel flavours and an irresistible beat.

‘Blues For Heaven’ features dreamy backing vocals from Catherine Russell, Cindy Mizelle, and Keith Fluitt, creating a beatific chorus. ‘Et Puis’, sung in impeccable French, delights with its gently chiming glockenspiel. Other standouts include the rollicking ‘Showman Dan’, a tribute to Peyroux’s late friend and mentor, street musician Danny Fitzgerald, with whom she performed in France and the US for two years.