Norah Jones : Releases >>
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Come Away with Me >>
It is not just the timbre of Norah Jones's voice that is mature beyond her 22 years. Her assured phrasing and precise time are more often found in older singers as well. She is instantly recognizable, blending shades of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone without sounding like anyone but herself. Any way you slice it, she is a singer to be reckoned with. Her readings of the Hank Williams classic "Cold Cold Heart" and Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You" alone are worth the price of the CD. Jones's own material, while not bad, pales a bit next to such masterpieces. They might have fared better had she and producer Arif Mardin opted for some livelier arrangements, taking better advantage of brilliant sidemen such as Bill Frisell, Kevin Breit, and Brian Blade; or if the tunes had simply been given less laconic performances. Jones has all the tools; what will come with experience and some careful listening to artists like J.J. Cale and Shirley Horn is the knack of remaining low-key without sounding sleepy--sometimes less is not, in fact, more. --Michael Ross
Not Too Late >>
Although the music of Norah Jones continues to blend pop, soul, folk, and country with a seasoning of jazz, her third album for Blue Note is the first where she's written (or collaborated on) all the material. Beneath the smooth surface lie darker strains on the album-opening "Wish I Could" (about a boyfriend lost to war), intimations of mortality in "The Sun Doesn't Like You," and the post-election horrors of "My Dear Country." The last seems to channel the inspiration of Brecht/Weill, while the equally bleak "Sinkin' Soon" is set to a jaunty Dixieland rag. Throughout, Jones's vocal intimacy and melodic warmth remain as disarmingly understated as ever. The soulful "Thinking of You," the countryish "Wake Me Up," and the syncopated "Be My Somebody" reflect the captivating style of her previous work. Although too much in the same midtempo mode becomes a dreamy lull, cut by cut, Jones's voice is irresistible. --Don McLeese
Feels Like Home >>
Norah Jones blew everybody away with her jazzy, country-tinged, Grammy-winning debut CD, Come Away with Me. On this recording, Jones doesn't mess with her trademark formula. Under Arif Mardin's cozy coproduction, Jones is supported by her writing partners, her Handsome Band, and some special guests (country legend Dolly Parton, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson of the Band, and jazz drummer Brian Blade, to name a few). Jones's Texas-twanged vocals and her sparse acoustic and electric Wurlitzer piano lines enliven the CD's 13 tracks, from the light and lively single "Sunrise" to Tom Waits's "The Long Way Home" and the bouncy duet with Parton, "Creepin' In." Jones's soul-baring piano/vocal rendition of Duke Ellington's "Melancholia," retitled "Don't Miss You at All," proves she's a true Blue Note artist with unlimited potential. --Eugene Holley Jr.
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino >>
It wasn't until Fats Domino's New Orleans house was heavily damaged in Hurricane Katrina that many people realized the great R&B pioneer was still alive. Now 79 and fairly reclusive, Domino had a tremendous influence on '50s popular music, his infectious boogie-woogie and triplet-based piano style forming much of the DNA of rock, and influencing scores of artists from Elvis Presley to the Beatles and beyond. To show their appreciation, a plethora of luminaries from rock, jazz, R&B, country, folk, and blues have united for this two-disc, 30-track valentine to Domino, which features modern takes on his timeless music. "United" is a literal term here--while some performers appear solo (Elton John on "Blueberry Hill," Corinne Bailey Rae on the scorching live cut, "One Night (of Sin)"), many of the tracks offer unexpected gumbo-like "mixtures," i.e., Joss Stone teaming with Buddy Guy and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band on "Every Night about this Time." Occasionally, things stray remarkably far from Domino's blueprint (jazz great Herbie Hancock churns it up with George Porter, Jr., Zigaboo Modeliste, and Renard Poche on "I'm Gonna be a Wheel Someday"), while Paul McCartney goes the other route, offering a too-worshipful vocal impersonation ("I Want to Walk You Home"), with fellow legend Allen Toussaint on piano. Still, fine performances abound, especially Neil Young's "Walking to New Orleans," which seethes with political anger, Lucinda Williams' roots-romance of "Honey Chile," and Robbie Robertson and Galactic's visionary "Going to the River." Almost secondarily, the collection serves as an eye-opening look at the thematic span of Domino's recorded output, and, like his Greatest Hits: Walking to New Orleans, released in August 2007, it should bring renewed awareness of his legacy. The iconic musician suffered more than damage to his house in Katrina--looters stole many of his possessions, including his '50s gold records. Here's hoping Goin' Home… will yield a replacement. --Alanna Nash
Not Too Late >>
Although the music of Norah Jones continues to blend pop, soul, folk, and country with a seasoning of jazz, her third album for Blue Note is the first where she's written (or collaborated on) all the material. Beneath the smooth surface lie darker strains on the album-opening "Wish I Could" (about a boyfriend lost to war), intimations of mortality in "The Sun Doesn't Like You," and the post-election horrors of "My Dear Country." The last seems to channel the inspiration of Brecht/Weill, while the equally bleak "Sinkin' Soon" is set to a jaunty Dixieland rag. Throughout, Jones's vocal intimacy and melodic warmth remain as disarmingly understated as ever. The soulful "Thinking of You," the countryish "Wake Me Up," and the syncopated "Be My Somebody" reflect the captivating style of her previous work. Although too much in the same midtempo mode becomes a dreamy lull, cut by cut, Jones's voice is irresistible. --Don McLeese
Come Away with Me >>
Norah Jones Photos (by Danny Clinch)
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More from Norah Jones
 Not Too Late |  Feels Like Home |  The Little Willies |
New York City >>
Nip/Tuck >>
Is there a more perfect musical metaphor for Nip/Tuck's themes of deeper-than-skin neuroses and narcissistic surgical reinvention than the chic chimera of a club remix? Josh Gabriel and Dave Dresden, the dub savants behind contemporary club successes that include Andain's "Beautiful Things", Motorcycle's "As the Rush Comes" and Sarah McLachlan's "Fallen," conjur up a nigh-seamless soundscape of haunting textures and percolating beats here, forcefully pushing the envelope of what a smart song-score can be in the bargain. Their rhythmic reinvention of The Engine Room's theme for the show, "A Perfect Lie," sets the cynical, haunting tone, with Gabriel and Dresden employing a sensibility that's both more mature and austere than their typical club work. G&D infuse that consistently entrancing sensibility to material as diverse as the cool-jazz of "Angels" by Wax Poetic/Norah Jones, Daniel Ash's stripped-down reinvention of the standard "Fever" and the retro-disco of Client's "Price of Love." If it's a triumph of style over substance, it's one that musically underscores the show's similar themes with grace and ever-detached elegance. --Jerry McCulley
Sleepless Nights/Those Sweet Words >>
Japan exclusive single features two tracks, 'Sleepless Nights' (taken from the deluxe edition of the 2004 album 'Feels Like Home') & 'Those Sweet Words' (taken from the standard edition). Includes exclusive artwork. EMI. 2005.
Feels Like Home (CD+DVD) >>
This expanded edition of Feels Like Home includes three unreleased tracks from the recording session; plus a DVD mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound of of four live tracks filmed at the Teatro Nuevo Alcala in Madrid, Spain; two music videos; and an exclusive interview.
Norah Jones Photos (by Danny Clinch)
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More from Norah Jones
| Not Too Late |  Come Away With Me | The Little Willies |