In her publicity photos, 23-year-old singer-songwriter Melody Gardot is usually seen wearing a pair of dark sunglasses that one initially assumes are a part of a well-cultivated look. In fact, Gardot wears the glasses because of injuries she suffered when she was struck by a car while bicycling home in her native Philadelphia. Prior to the accident, Gardot worked part-time as a cocktail pianist while studying at Moore College of Art & Design. While in recovery, her physician suggested she resume playing as part of her cognitive therapy.

The songs she wrote ended up on an independent EP, and this year marks the release of her debut full-length album, Worrisome Heart. This week, this inspirational artist comes to D.C. for a series of free performances. VSA Arts, an affiliate of the Kennedy Center, is producing the concerts as part of its 2007 Start with the Arts Family Festival. The non-profit organization’s mission is to promote disabled artists and facilitate access to the arts among people with disabilities.

Gardot’s music follows the path of Norah Jones in that her compositions are firmly in the torch song tradition with folk, jazz, country, and blues influences. Her voice draws comparisons to that of Jones because of its smokey alto that is expressive, soulful, and seductive. Her delivery depends more on phrasing and pure emotion than it does on vocal acrobatics, although she does on occassion employ a tight vibrato, a la Fiona Apple, to achieve a different timbre. Her band employs a no-frills approach to the arrangements that places a strong emphasis on the lyric and melody. The playing is subdued in terms of volume and note activity, but it retains a quiet intensity. Gardot’s lyrics are, for the most part, introspective in nature with love, loss, and heartache as central themes.

Photo taken from Melody Gardot’s MySpace page