Madeleine Peyroux

Madeleine Peyroux made her reputation out of wrapping Billie Holiday-style pipes around songs by the likes of Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Though Peyroux also wrote her own tunes, this 2009 release is the first time that she's penned the entire set. The results aren't really that much different -- Peyroux still luxuriates in a retro sound that recalls old juke joints and dusty back roads more than shopping malls or suburban sprawl. And her best tunes, such as "River of Tears" and "To Love You All Over Again," sound as if they've always been around.