Madeleine Peyroux, whose voice has often been compared to that of Billie Holiday's, was discovered while in her early twenties when she was spotted by former Atlantic Records A&R man, Yves Beauvais, at a New York club.

Prior to this life-changing performance, the American-born Peyroux was a musician on the streets of Paris. A precocious teenager, living abroad with her mother, Madeleine quickly became entranced with local buskers, spending much of her time accompanying a regular band on the sidewalks of the Latin Quarter with her distinctive voice, and, by 15, had dropped out of school to join a touring blues and jazz band.

After the whirlwind release and promotion of the critically acclaimed Dreamland, the 22-year old Peyroux disappeared from the limelight, just as the buzz surrounding the singer was at its peak. When she finally felt ready to return to the studio, Madeleine was paired with renowned producer Larry Klein ( Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, Herbie Hancock ) — a match that would prove to be a successful one, stretching over several, subsequent albums. The result was 2004's Careless Love ( Rounder ) — a diverse collection of covers penned by everyone from Elliott Smith to Hank Williams. Breakout track "Don't Wait Too Long" helped push Madeleine into the mainstream by topping the jazz charts and appearing in national commercial spots and film soundtracks.