Occasionally Music: Melody Gardot

I had forgotten about Melody Gardot until she arrived in my daily podcast subscription via KCRW's Today's Top Tune.  (Ah, KCRW, definitely in my top ten list of things I miss about living in LA)  The song reminded me of what a great voice she has and what an interesting story she has.  Both first came to my attention via NPR:

Four years after a serious car accident, Melody Gardot used the experience as a springboard to musical success she might never have achieved otherwise.

The singer, now 23, was hit by an SUV while riding her bicycle. Her injuries were serious and left her unable to sit up for more than 10 minutes. She suffered short-term memory loss and acute sensitivity to light and sound.

Gardot had played the piano before the accident, and a doctor suggested that she use music as a kind of recovery therapy. Since she couldn't sit comfortably at the piano, she picked up a guitar. Now, she's a professional musician, and her debut full-length album is called Worrisome Heart.

. . . .

Since the accident, Gardot has struggled with short-term memory loss, which forces her to write and record compositions before she forgets them. Furthermore, her heightened sensitivity to light and sound — which, despite hearing devices and sunglasses — makes performing somewhat difficult. But she says she still finds it enjoyable.

Here are a couple of tracks courtesy of YouTube: