Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Smoke & Honey
"This is really the record I wanted to make." -Nora JonesNorah Jones was born in Brooklyn and raised in Dallas, Texas. Her love for Jazz evolved while attending Dallas' Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She then majored in jazz piano at the University of North Texas for two years. She then took a trip to New York and while this started as a summer vacation, Norah was soon found herself hanging around local songwriters and became inspired to write some original songs. "The music scene is so huge. I found it very exciting. I especially enjoyed hearing amazing songwriters at places like The Living Room. Everything opened up for me. I couldn't leave." She has performed with the Laszlo band and in Wax Poetic. Eventually she joined a band with local songwriter Jesse Harris where she sang and played piano. In January 2001 she signed with Blue Note Records. This is her first Blue Note release and was produced by Arif Mardin, Jay Newland and Craig Street. Norah includes classic tunes from Hank Williams', "Cold, Cold Heart," J.D. Loudermilk's "Turn Me On," and Hoagy Charmichael's "The nearness of You." Then she delights with originals by her bandmates. Jesse Harris', "Don't Know Why" and Lee Alexander, "Seven Years" are beautiful songs that leave you so nostalgic for the past, yet they are new songs. She is inspired by the music of yesterday and loves Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson and Ray Charles. I can't believe she has just tuned 23! Ok, so I listened to this CD about 10 times today! Here is what I think of each song: Don't Know Why - A slow seduction of words that evoke a feeling of absolute longing, yet a certain resolution instead of taking action. Seven Years - Innocence personified. "Fragile as a leaf in autumn
Just fallin' to the ground
Without a sound" Cold Cold Heart - Norah's voice melts this silky smooth song. Feelin' The Same Way - Nice twisty little number that seems to spin in circles. This song brings out the smoky elements in her voice. Come Away With Me - The pace drops to melting snow. It is terribly romantic as she sings of wanting to wake up with the rain falling on a tin roof in the arms of the one she loves. Shoot The Moon - Moody Blue Song. Turn Me On - The pace picks up and Norah sings of a flower waiting to bloom and a light bulb in a dark room. Cute song actually. One of my favorites. Lonestar - Country flavor. She wishes for a sign in the night sky. I've Got to See You Again - Pure seduction. Norah's voice really comes alive in this song. I'm thinking this is what we can look forward to in the future! Painter Song - Fun, dreamy melody about being a painter. French café flair fantasy about being in a painting. One Flight Down - Almost matter-of-fact. Norah's voice is very clear in this song and quite strong. I like trying to figure out Jesse Harris' song with all their secret meanings. Nightingale - Almost has a lullaby quality. The Long Day is Over - Perhaps the slowest song, perfect to fall asleep to. The Nearness of You - Then, this will wake you up a bit, yet it still has a sleepy and breathy quality. Smooth Sexy Selections in a Dreamy World of Jazz, Soul and Country. Nora Teases the listener with her voice, mercilessly.
Rating:  - Come Away Where???
After the Grammy Awards I thought that this CD must really be something. Boy was I disappointed. Although the music is soothing and her voice is magical, the words are worthless. What is this person saying? There's not a meaningful line of art/poetry on the entire CD. Each song is like a marshmellow with no lyrical substance at all. Ok, she's only 22 and doesn't know much about life, love and relationships yet but geeze, can't she find one songwriter that has something to say that might let her record their song? The CD is not all bad. I hate mornings and it's currently on my Bose radio and wakes me up each day. Nice and mellow. Lyrics not necessary at that time of the day.
Rating:  - Spinless, simpering pseudo-jazz for people without taste
Okay, first off, this is not a jazz album. It is a bad pop album that somehow has fooled people into thinking it's jazz because Norah Jones plays piano and sings schmaltzy half-written tunes. The performances are listless and halfhearted. Second, Norah Jones is really Norah Shankar, daughter of Ravi Shankar the sitar player. That's how she got a contract and record release on a major jazz label despite her lack of talent. The girl has connections. Third, she's skating by on her looks alone and hopes we'll assume she's black so she can get jazz credibility. What a phony. Not to mention she has a really bad attitude. I saw her live and she spat at a little kid in the front row because the kid wasn't "respectful," which means he didn't laugh at her weak jokes and wasn't blown away by her cheesy piano crooning.
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