Performers come along each generation with the ability to evoke a singer or actor of years gone by and, far too often, once that connection is established, they skate along on the reputation.

A street busker in Paris at 15, lead singer with a Paris-based touring jazz and blues troupe by 16, Madeleine Peyroux--out of New Orleans and Brooklyn--grew up fast. Indeed, since her 1996 debut, , ...

Madeleine Peyroux speaks a lot about the natural course of things. She seems to be a believer in fate, in the grand unseen plan.It’s hard to blame her. The 30-year-old singer’s career hasn’t gone ...