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
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
A Classic:
This album will be recorded as a classic in music history. Love Norah's airy and sultry sound...such relaxing music. I can listen to her music over and over again. A new emerging singer-songwriter I recently discovered reminds me a little of Norah Jones with a little Fiona Apple tossed in; Arrica Rose. Her latest CD La La Lost is her best to date.
Pure Pleasure:
After seeing her on a tribute to Elvis Presley I immediately went to Amazon.com to listen to some samples of her music. I settled on the CD titled Come Away With Me ... which I just love. Her voice is so comforting to listen to and I play it just about every day. Now that I have one of her CD's I intend to purchase more.
Super album:
This CD has become one of my favorites. I keep returning to it over and over.
Smart, grown-up, acoustic music:
I know people say "Snorah Jones." But I like her music - I think it's mature in a good way: music that begs to be listened to, music that's firmly based in craft (she's a very fine pianist) and sung with a clear, expressive voice. Yes, it's subdued and acoustic and, as such, has been embraced by dinner party hosts and easy listening FM stations everywhere. I also like her selections; it's music that occupies the space vacated by Aretha Franklin (when Aretha lost her bluesy grit sometime in the mid 1970s) as... more info
