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Norah
Jones
Come Away With Me
label: blue note
released: 02.26.02
our score: 3.5 out of 5.0
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The recent
proliferation of piano-playing pop musicians may be reason to
give one pause at the thought of yet another beautiful young woman
and her piano being all the talk. Fortunately, Jones is all these
pop musicians aren't, and so much more. A jazz musician
in the truest sense, her debut album Come Away With Me
is a sweet breath of fresh air in a summer evening.
First the
voice: Jones is by no means lacking in this department. Her sultry
vocals have all the smoothness of the greats which hang with the
smokiness of a club, late-night-style. Compliments aside, however,
there are a few places one could argue for improvement. The biggest
flaw (dependent upon your preference, of course) is the lack of
"ooomph!" in places. Jones's laurels rest on her smoothness, and
at times it seems she could have expressed a bit more strength.
That's not to say her vocals are weak, they are in fact far from
it. There's just a bit of monotony here, but it's hardly a downfall
- just worth mentioning.
The majority
of the album revolves around a kind of "country-fied" jazz style,
most evident in her cover of the Hank Wiliams classic "Cold, Cold
Heart" (which is far and away the highlight of the album). Songs
are primarily structured around simple piano and guitar, with
a healthy dose of brushed cymbals - simplicity at its most beautiful.
At times you'll hear a bit of accordion or violin; simply understated
yet doing their jobs perfectly.
Fans of smooth
jazz music will no doubt be pleased by Jones. In fact, Come
Away With Me is sure to please anyone ready to embrace some
sweet, soulful music. She may falter at points, but they are few
and far between - making this an absolutely astounding debut.
And given she's only 22 years old, this is just the beginning
- and that's truly something to look forward to.
20-May-2002 9:30 PM

If you
liked Come Away With Me...
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Tracklist:
1. Don't Know Why
2. Seven Years
3. Cold Cold Heart
4. Feelin' the Same Way
5. Come Away With Me
6. Shoot the Moon
7. Turn Me On
8. Lonestar
9. I've Got to See You Again
10. Painter Song
11. One Flight Down
12. Nightingale
13. The Long Day Is Over
14. The Nearness of You
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