Norah Jones - Visions (2024)

It occurs to me that the relative quality of a Norah Jones album boils down to who she selects as a co-writer/producer. In the case of Visions, she chose to work with Leon Michels. I was completely unfamiliar with the name, but not the indie garage band production style he brings with him from his work with (according to Wikipedia) Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Menahan Street Band, The Black Keys, etc. The overall sound reminds me of Dan Auerbach's album, Waiting on a Song, an album I enjoy. But, above all, we're treated to Norah's beautifully unique voice, often overdubbed, which sounds as effortless as her sublime keyboard work. Certainly her best album since Day Breaks, the LA Times describes Visions as "a funky, gently psychedelic garage-soul record that puts her sultry vocals amid fuzzy guitars, off-kilter drums and crinkly vintage keyboards." I couldn't come up with a better description - that one's perfect.

Over at the meta-analysis websites, Metacritic rated it at 81, whereas anydecentmusic.com has it lower at 7.1. It was recently nominated for a Grammy award in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #168
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• Billboard Rock & Alternative: #40
• Billboard Tastemakers: #17

Tracks: My favorites are Staring At the Wall, Paradise, Running, and I'm Awake. No skips. 

Bonus track: A country-flavored tune titled Until My Heart Is Found and I'll be damned if Norah can't channel Patsy Cline when she wants to.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Before this purchase, I couldn’t tell you the last time I purchased an album on the day of release but I bought this CD on March 8, 2024 at the local Target (the location closest to my house still has a section of the store dedicated to physical media!). The CD's hype sticker (above) mentions a poster, which is simply the cover photo on the back of the CD booklet of the album's lyrics.

Not sure if that lives up to the claim of "poster" in my mind, but it could have been worse.

And my fantasy of singing a duet with Norah persists...

Previously revisited for the blog:

Pick Me Up Off The Floor (2020)	The Fall (2009)
Begin Again (2019)	Not Too Late (2007)
Day Breaks (2016)	Feels Like Home (2004)
...Little Broken Hearts (2012)	Come Away With Me (2002)

Norah Jones - Pick Me Up Off The Floor (2020)

I played this album several times since I bought it back in June and, to be honest, none of it did much for me. Very repetitive and leans a little too far towards country at times. I read that Metacritic rated it at 83 and I just wasn't hearing it. But I love Norah (and would eagerly help her up off the floor), so I kept giving the album another chance because obviously I was missing something. I don't know if the tenth time's a charm, or the fact that I eventually listened after dark, but I finally started enjoying a few of the songs. Persistence kinda sorta paid off.

I wish there weren't so many ballads, but at least I'm now happy with the purchase. It's not a 83, though. The press release for the album uses the phrase "a heavy mood that leans into darkness before ultimately finding the light" and that's better than anything I could come up with so let's leave it there.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #87
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #1

Tracks: The tracks I finally came around to are How I Weep, Flame Twin, Hurts To Be Alone, I'm Alive, and Stumble On My Way.

Bonus tracks: Of the two bonus tracks, Street Stranger is certainly worthy of inclusion on the album proper.

An expanded 30-track digital Deluxe Edition was released four months after the CD was released because that's the way we're headed now, apparently.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Begin Again (2019)
Day Breaks (2016)
...Little Broken Hearts (2012)
The Fall (2009)
Not Too Late (2007)
Feels Like Home (2004)
Come Away With Me (2002)

Norah Jones - Begin Again (2019)

A 29 minute collection of tunes that won't get as much play around here as some of her other discs (e.g., Day Breaks, Come Away With Me), but a few songs will get ripped to files and added to late night playlists. Promoted as "a collection of singles," this is very mixed bag. As such, it's hit or miss. Metacritic has it rated at 70, which is a bit higher than I'd rate it. I prefer my albums more consistent and my Norah less experiential. Yes, I realize an artist has to grow and Norah has earned the right to do whatever she wants, but I like what I like.

I'm expecting a 14 track deluxe edition to be released within six months because that's what the music industry has come to.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #164

Tracks (ranked by personal preference):

1. Wintertime
2. It Was You
3. Uh Oh
4. Just a Little Bit
5. Begin Again
6. My Heart is Full
7. A Song With No Name

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Day Breaks (2016)
...Little Broken Hearts (2012)
The Fall (2009)
Not Too Late (2007)
Feels Like Home (2004)
Come Away With Me (2002)

Norah Jones - Not Too Late (2007)

We love us some Norah Jones round here but this album is hovering around the middle of her œuvre. Overall, very quiet and melancholy, it's her first album to feature all original compositions. Stretching out like an artist should without totally alienating her audience - that's a tough fence to straddle and Jones has done a fine job of it here. There isn't much variety and there are a few bland tunes that sound like they weren't ever fleshed out, but the high points are good enough that I can overlook those bland tunes.

Metacritic has this album rated at 68/100, which is a little low for me but not by much. In a review that gives the album 3 out of 4 stars, the Boston Phoenix offered: "Too good to hate, not exciting enough to love, she still makes most of what’s out there sound like phony baloney." Perfect.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #1 (3 non-consecutive weeks)

Tracks:  The lead track, Wish I Could, is absolutely gorgeous and when the cello and overdubbed vocals come in it just gets better. Also good are Until The End, Thinking About You, Wake Me Up, Be My Somebody, and the title track. I don't care for Sinkin' Soon and Little Room. The rest fit in the bland tune category I mentioned earlier.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Unfortunately for the general public, I think my voice fits comfortably an octave below Norah's so I often sing loudly along with this CD in my truck. Maybe they'd prefer I belt out some gospel tunes?

Previously revisited for the blog:
Day Breaks (2016)
...Little Broken Hearts (2012)
The Fall (2009)
Feels Like Home (2004)
Come Away With Me (2002)

Norah Jones - Day Breaks (2016)

NEW MUSIC WEEK 2016 (NOVEMBER 14-20, 2016)

Simply put, this is Norah's best album since Come Away With Me and the most relaxing set I've heard in years. The album features Jones' piano playing which has, unfortunately, been minimized on some of her more recent releases; it's good to hear it again.

Just my two cents: the title shoulda been Night Breaks, because this is one of those perfect nighttime albums. Better every time I spin it. Metacritic currently has it rated at 77, which is low to these ears.

As I write these words, I've just finished the whole album and I'm so relaxed I'll be lucky to get anything else done today.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #2
• Billboard Jazz: #1

Tracks:

1. I'm grabbed instantly by Jones' sultry voice and Wayne Shorter's plaintive soprano sax on the lead track, Burn. 
2. The best track on the disc, Tragedy. 
3. I want to dislike Flipside because the faster tempo doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the album, but Dr. Lonnie Smith's B-3 is just too good.
4. It's A Wonderful Time For Love sounds like it's been in the Great American Songbook for decades.
5. And Then There Was You is a gorgeous waltz which works beautifully in a trio setting, then the strings come in and it's just perfect.
6. The first of three covers of the album, Jones tackles Neil Young's Don't Be Denied from 1973. I'm not a Young fan, but Jones does the best she can. Nonetheless, this is the blandest track on the album and my least favorite. Still, I can't skip it because it fits the overall mood of this joint.
7. The title song was the first single and I can't stop analyzing the mesmerizing arrangement and atypical chord progressions. I'm completely captivated and there's Wayne Shorter again.
8. The second cover on the album is Peace by legendary bandleader Horace Silver, written in 1959. A standard done right. Shorter contributes his best solo on the album and Jones' ain't too bad, either.
9. Once I Had A Laugh features a wordless chorus and a NOLA horn arrangement.
10. Sleeping Wild reminds me more than a little like Norah's take on Cold Cold Heart from her debut album.  And that's fine with me.
11. The penultimate tune, Carry On, is a country-ish waltz and features subtle B-3 work. Fits perfectly.
12. The final cut is Fleurette Africaine (African Flower), a 1962 tune by Duke Ellington. No lyrics, just Jones humming a melody alongside Shorter's improvisations. Damn sexy.

An entire album I'll play without skipping a track. Don't get much better than that.

click to enlarge

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
...Little Broken Hearts (2012)
The Fall (2009)
Feels Like Home (2004)
Come Away With Me (2002)

Norah Jones - The Fall (2009)

A few years back, a friend o' the blog gave me the nickname Soft Rock Kid. Anybody with that nickname would like this album. Lots of mid-tempo beauties with gorgeous melodies and simple orchestration, no production tricks. The best description comes from Rolling Stone's ★★★½ review: "avant-roots music that rocks, albeit gently." I could use a little more of Jones' piano, but that's picking at nits. Simply put, this is Jones' best album since Come Away With Me and perfect for listening in the gloaming.

Luv ya, Norah! Call me!

Peak on the US Billboard 200 chart: #3
Peak on the US Billboard Digital Album chart: #3
Peak on the US Billboard Top Rock Albums chart: #1
Peak on the US Billboard Tastemaker Albums chart: #4
Peak on the US Billboard Top Album Sales chart: #3
[note: enough already with the different charts, Billboard]

Tracks: an album in the true sense - a collection of similar songs whose whole is more than the sum of its parts. Listen from top-to-bottom with no skips, no shuffle. I'd list some highlights, but my preferences change every time I spin this thing. And that's a good thing. However, I'll list the US singles and Billboard chart data:

	AA	Jazz	AC	Rock
Chasing Pirates	1	7	13	38
Young Blood
It's Gonna Be	11

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
...Little Broken Hearts (2012)
Feels Like Home (2004)
Come Away With Me (2002)

Norah Jones - ...Little Broken Hearts (2012)

As you can guess from the title, this is a break-up album. The brokenhearted songwriting is good and the production by the innovative Danger Mouse is interesting, but that's a hit-or-miss combination that, at times, makes this effort sound like a generic indie pop album. Jones is better than that.  As Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes in his review, "it takes effort to ignore the alluring haze and hear the songs that lie beneath." Overall, I prefer Jones' earlier, sparse piano-based sound to this ethereal synth-pads and guitar strumming, but this CD still has its moments when it isn't trying to be the soundtrack to a David Lynch movie. Metacritic gives it a 69, which is slightly high IMO. I'm waiting for Jones to step back into my comfort zone.

FYI: the album cover is based on a film poster for the 1965 Russ Meyer film, Mudhoney. The thought of Norah Jones as Russ Meyer heroine is quite enticing indeed.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #2

Tracks:  My favorites are Good Morning, She's 22, Out On The Road, and the deliciously evil Miriam in which Jones takes on the persona of the vindictive, murderous ex ("Never been the killin' kind, but you know I know what you did"). But, really, who would cheat on Norah Jones? I usually skip Take It Back and 4 Broken Hearts.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  None, but Jones gets bonus points for her cameo appearance in the movie Ted.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Feels Like Home (2004)
Come Away With Me (2002)

Norah Jones - Feels Like Home (2004)

I love Jones' first album and her blend of pop, folk, country, and jazz. I, like millions of other people, bought this, her sophomore effort, almost as soon as it was released, looking for more of the same. It is and it isn't. First, she really misses the songwriting abilities of Jesse Harris. Second, this release leans a little too much towards country music for my taste with songs by people like Townes Van Zandt and a duet with Dolly Parton. As a result, this hasn't gotten much of a listen in the past 8 years. I'll admit it: I was wrong. I didn't give this one a fair shake. While I'll continue to skip the more country tunes, there are some tracks that could have easily fit on the debut disc. I'll listen to those.

My apologies to Ms. Jones for not giving this multiple listens before passing judgment and my thanks to her for keeping it simple and, above all, not using the dreaded Auto-Tune. While I like Jones' tasteful, minimalist approach to piano playing, her main asset is her voice. My only problem with her subtle voice is that she makes sounding good so effortless that amateurs think they can handle Jones' styling and phrasing. They can't. I've heard many a karaoke/open-mike/cover band ruin this music. They should be apologizing to Norah more than me.

Metacritic rated this release at 74/100.

Note: this CD was "enhanced" with the controversial Bandlink software, a program that promised an interactive experience for the listener when the CD was inserted into a computer. However, the main goal of the software was to monitor listener activity and provide that information back to the record label. Fortunately, streaming eventually did away with such foolishness. Here's an online article about Bandlink from 2003: CDs That Spy

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #1 (6 weeks, Feb 28 - Apr 3, 2004)

Tracks: Ones that will get ripped to iTunes (in other words, the ones I think would fit on Jones' first album) are Sunrise, Those Sweet Words, Carnival Town, Be Here To Love Me, Toes, Humble Me, and Don't Miss You At All (which may be the best tune on the disc - Jones adds her own lyrics to Duke Ellington's Melancholia). I'll pass on the rest, but 7 of 13 isn't bad, particularly if you've previously dismissed all of them.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Come Away With Me (2002)

Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (2002)

An immediate classic. One of my favorite albums of the last ten years and a great spring/early summer album. I'm always amazed how I'm suddenly relaxed upon hearing the first few notes of the opening track. That downward chromatic line is so simple yet sublime. While Jones deserves much of the credit for this album's success, I don't think we should overlook the contributions of guitarist/songwriter Jesse Harris (note to self: check out Harris' solo stuff). Also, producer Arif Mardin deserves credit for getting out of the way. I love the sparse arrangements, Jones' voice and her penchant for playing piano like Floyd Cramer. I often make fun of the Grammy awards on this blog, and deservedly so, but they got it right when they awarded this Album Of The Year and gave Jones the cursed Best New Artist award. The album has sold over 20 million copies and spent 153 weeks on the Billboard 200. It's good stuff.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "a quietly captivating triumph of torch song."
• Billboard: "elements of country, soul, jazz, blues, folk, and pop coalescing into one gorgeous whole."
• PopMatters: "The music is unique enough to stand on its own, without need for a genre label, and for that reason it feels fresh."
• Entertainment Weekly: "Her voice is supple and precise, her touch on piano lovely."

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #1 (4 weeks between Jan 25 - Mar 15, 2003)

Tracks: The opening track is three minutes of bliss. The rest of the album doesn't come close to that track, but they sure try. I suppose an argument could be made that there's not much variance in style or tempi here, but to me, that's part of the charm. I don't skip any tracks. The ending couple of The Long Day Is Over followed by a cover of Hoagy Carmichael's The Nearness Of You is - well, I can't imagine a better ending for this album.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: In 2002, my Sunday morning routine included watching CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood while drinking a pot of coffee, followed by some time on the back porch (more coffee) before heading to church. Back then, Bill Flanagan of VH1 would contribute to the program every so often. One Sunday in 2002, Flanagan contributed a segment about the five new albums he was looking forward to hearing in the car (on cassette!) that summer. This CD was on his list and, after playing a video clip of Don't Know Why, he said this about the album:

We spend a lot of the summer in the city, too, and you want music for parties on the roof and watching fireworks on the river. The first CD by a singer named Norah Jones is going to be playing at a lot of dinner parties this year. It’s a beautiful, precocious record by a young singer-pianist with a lot of jazz influences. It’s already creating a big buzz, and it’s already stirred up a little backlash among purists who protest that it’s not a real jazz album. To which I say, "OK. It’s not a real jazz album. You go sit in the corner with your headphones and listen to Albert Ayler and leave the rest of us alone."

I ordered the album from Amazon that afternoon. Unfortunately for those who ride in my truck, Jones and I share similar vocal ranges which makes it easy for me to sing along with these songs.