The trippy, cinematic journey that is William Galison and Madeleine Peyroux's new album Got You On My Mind, opens with the bright, swinging glee of "Back In Your Own Backyard". It sways through the happily plaintive "J'ai Deux Amours", swaggers through a Charlie Chaplin-in-Technicolor "Rag For Madi", and continues on this diversely scenic escapade for 11 deeply touching tracks. Meanwhile, hallucinations of a passionate Josephine Baker sauntering past Montemartre cafe, a dust-kickin' John Lennon strolling through a corn field and lovers everywhere, aching with tumult, dancing with blissful indulgence flash through the mind. Peyroux' husky, full-throated voice brings to mind one iconic, white gardenia wearing lady. The way her inflection lilts up and quivers for a few suspended moments, like in "Heaven To Me" when she breaks the word "heaven", in two, make you think Billie Holiday must be standing behind her breathing through Peyroux's brown locks. Other times, she sings with a lovely, tarnished allure, cut with a hint of tartness like a Granny Smith apple, like on the samba infused "The Way You Look Tonight". In July, Peyroux sang and played guitar at the Blue Note with her band (Adam Holzman - keys, Andy McKee - bass, Ben Perowski - drums). Her ageless presence oscillated between youthful, adolescent exuberance, to the bittersweet melancholy of a woman who has known a broken heart quite intimately. She connected with her audience, locking eyes until you began to wonder if you were the one in the song who gave her those flowers.

Seven tracks on the album feature Galison's harmonica. At times mournful, at times wild, he always displays superb control over the tiny instrument, whether weaving through Peyroux' vocals in "Heaven To Me", rambling out a boogie-down solo in "J'ai Deux Amours", mingling with Brad Terry's clarinet in "Rag For Madi", or mixing with Shawn Pelton's drums, Tony Garnier's bass and Brian Mitchell's piano to create the fully heart wrenching universe of "Jealous Guy". Galison also sings and plays guitar on the disc. He turns out a fierce electric solo on "Playin'", and chugs along on acoustic guitar or dobro during the standards. "Shoulda Known" shows up like a weird dream. He sings the tale of the frog and the scorpion in a gentle, folk voice. Carly Simon even pays a visit. There may be an odd combination of tone and atmosphere on Peyroux's long-awaited followup to her 1996 Dreamland, but who doesn't want to leap into the French carnival panache of Heinz Jeromim's accordion on "Flambee Montalbanese", then call out to providence in a desperate plea to save mankind as Galison and Peyroux duet along to Jean Baptoste Bocle's Hammond B3 in "Heaven Help Us All"?

William Galison and Madeleine Peyroux Got You On My Mind (Waking Up Music) With chanteuse Madeleine Peyroux emerging after the way-too-long recording hiatus, following her '96 debut, Dreamland -- all ears will be on her Rounder smooth-jazz-ish release, Careless Love. But this indie (and more edgy) effort with New York-based multi-instrumentalist William Galison should find its audience. The charmingly retro vibe succeeds primarily through understatement. Peyroux still sounds spookily like Billie Holiday, and her semi-lethargic, semi-sexy vocals are used to their best advantage here, mixed between standards and original numbers. Blessedly, there are no heavy overdubs or swirling strings, just smoky remakes of Peyroux concert faves, like "Heaven to Me," and Josephine Baker's "J'ai Deux Amours", which features a jarringly spirited harmonica solo by Galison, along with unique interpretations of classics by Kern and Jolson, and a couple of pop numbers (including John Lennon's mournful "Jealous Guy," recorded sans Peyroux).