Have you ever had that vision in your head where a top-hat dance ensemble encircles you as you have a relaxing bath?? Well, maybe that's just me...

Cue the airy strings, lush vocals and kaleidoscope visual -
Introducing Melody Gardot...

On a sunny California afternoon, I find myself sprawled out on a couch at an outdoor cafe patio (ooh, big surprise...), sipping a cappuccino and dying for a cigarette. My eyebrows are wrought as I feel deprived of fresh island air, blue waters and damn good food - I can't help it, I'm homesick. However, when life leaves you feeling discontent, throw some jazz and triumph in it's face with a little story about Melody.

After getting hit by car when she was 19 years old, Melody suffered many serious injuries, including a TBI (traumatic brain injury). On her road to recovery, she used music as a tool to regain her cognitive skills. The accident, you could say, set off her music career. Her second album - My One and Only Thrill - doesn't hit the US until later this month, but she has already made her mark on my life's soundtrack.

Read more from her article at Billboard.com.

Here's a blurb from her myspace page:
I see myself in this way: "I am able to do some things and unable to do others." Thats all. The technicalities are just as important as you make them. All you need to know is why I need the things you see me with, as most people do not need them:

CITIZEN CANE- Stability and Balance
DARK GLASSES- Photosensitivity (can't tolerate light)
EARPLUGS- severe Hyperacusis/Tinnitus
NICE SHOES- What can I say, I like my shoes...

Music isn't just music. It's therapy for so many people. See what it can do for you. [www.musictherapy.org]

So in the spirit of April Fool's Day - Baby, I'm a fool that thinks it's cool to fall in love...