Norah Jones’ debut album, “Come away with me” sold more than 20 million copies and garnered five Grammys. In effect, the record took a New York City lounge singer and launched her into the stratosphere. After such a meteoric rise the question had to be: What does one do after already achieving everything? For Jones, she was ready to get to work.
Norah Jones has never one to be hampered success. She is far too musically curious to rest on prior accomplishments. Already, she has released three more records to critical acclaim and healthy sales. And in between recording and touring she has also collaborated with other musicians. “Featuring” now out on Blue Note is a compilation of these projects.
I’m amazed by Jones’ versatility. On these tracks she easily moves from pop and rock to samba and bossa nova. She also covers familiar terrain with country and jazz. But she also ventures into new territory like reggae and hip hop. I really like the shades of haunting gospel in her song with Ryan Adams called “Dear John.” She deftly moves from minimal in “Blue Bayou” with M. Ward to parade like charm in “Ruler of My Heart” with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. This record is a decathlon of musical genres. I was almost hoping to come across an Irish beer drinking song with The Pogues, but braying has never been Jones’ style.
Although she grew up in Texas, Jones’ voice doesn’t take up a lot of space. It’s intimate, subtle and knowing. Like all great singers, she has the ability to convince the listener that she is only singing to an audience of one. Her voice is never going to carry across a football field. It’s going to whisper from across the bar.
It’s not surprising that other musicians have asked Jones to sing on their records. What is surprising is how gracious she has been over the years. The musicians on “Featuring” range from established to starting out. There is Willie Nelson and The Little Willies, Dolly Parton and Sasha Dobson, The Foo Fighters and Daru Oda. Three of the songs on “Featuring” even appear on Grammy Award winning records:
Her duet with Andre 3000 from OutKast’s “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” is an aperitif of a song. But when Jones sings “Take Your Cool Off” what more needs to be said?
In “Court and Spark” from Herbie Hancock’s “The River: The Joni Letters,” Jones’ voice folds and blends into expanding, exploring nuances of a song that moves as freely as a winding body of water.
I feel Jones hits a sweet spot with Ray Charles in “Here We Go Again” from “Genius Loves Company.” More than any other collaboration I have to believe that Jones holds a special affinity with Charles, a fellow piano player. After all, how many musicians can deftly inhabit the worlds of both jazz and country? I can think of two.
Dave
