Norah Jones: “Not Too Late”
The CD: “Not Too Late” (Blue Note)
Performer: Norah Jones
Website: Click here
After her impressive debut, “Come Away With Me” and 2004’s “Feels Like Home,” Norah Jones dealt with her Grammy Award-winning celebrity in her own fashion. She joined the offbeat, mixed-genre music group The Little Willies, who released an album of laid-back jazzy country cover tunes. With “Not Too Late,” Jones continues her genre-defying ways lending her distinctive voice to a diverse collection of tunes that range from mellow easy-listening to Tom Waits-style beatnik swing.
The centerpiece of this CD is Norah Jones’ maturation as a songwriter. Many artists faced with early success are content to allow themselves to be pigeonholed into sticking with a tried formula. Luckily, Jones is more adventurous than that. This CD features some truly impressive tunesmithery. Jones has given us yet another excellent example of a “Sunday morning CD.” Like her earlier work, you’re not going to blast this while driving down the highway, but it’s perfect chill-out music: relaxing without being mind-numbing. All the songs are written or co-written by Jones, who is able to reach into styles of music without losing her identity. This is not a departure album for Jones. It’s a progression.
The opening track, “Wish I Could,” while still clearly a Norah Jones song, recalls the delicate songwriting of Paul McCartney in “Blackbird” mode. This is followed by the slow cabaret vamp of “Sinkin’ Soon,” which has hints of New Orleans, Tom Waits, and Stan Ridgeway. “Thinking Of You,” the lead single from the album, is probably the track that most sounds like Jones’ previous work. It’s mellow with a pretty melody and showcases her lovely voice. However, I’m more intrigued by the darker songs like “My Dear Country,” a vaguely political piano tune that features a bizarre but brief orchestrated interlude that sounds like Danny Elfman played by The Residents.
The instrumentation throughout is austere and exquisite. Jeffrey Ziegler’s bowed cello and J. Walter Hawke’s trombone pop in perfectly, do their job, and fade into the background as part of a wonderfully offbeat ensemble. At just the right moments, a Hammond B3 organ or exotic stringed instruments will show up and provide the piece that completes the musical puzzle. Producer Lee Alexander has helped Jones create a beautiful musical statement.
“Not Too Late” will be criticized by some for being too laid back. But if you actually take the time to listen, you’ll be rewarded with a sublime experience. Music doesn’t have to be in your face to be good. There’s still a place for intelligent songs, played beautifully. “Not Too Late” is also available in a deluxe edition with a bonus DVD, which includes three music videos, short films on the making of those videos, interviews, and live performances.
-- By Rudy Panucci
