Pushkin

Madeline Peru is a jazz-inspired singer-songwriter who got her start singing in street bands in Paris as a teenager.

In 1996, Atlantic Records released Madeline's debut album where she covered tunes from the 30s and 40s by

artists like Bessie Smith and Billy Holiday. And then later she recorded songs by

Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. This year Madeline Peru released Let's Walk,

her first album of all original songs, co-written with her longtime touring guitar player

John Harrington.

On today's episode, Madeline and John played through some songs for the new album and Bruce Hedlund talks

at them about their mutual creative process.

Madeline also remembers her early days busking with a bohemian expat named Dan William Fitzgerald

who became her musical mentor and she explains how

Dr. Cornell West became her guiding light during a recent bout of personal despair.

This is Broken Record.

Liner notes for the digital age.

I'm Justin Richmond.

Here's Bruce Hedlund's conversation with Madeline Peru and John Harrington.

You've got this new album, Let's Walk,

which is very exciting.

It's been what, six or seven years, I think?

Yeah.

Since your last album. Now now your last album at the time you said the

question sort of driving that album was where do you stand what was the question

...