Come Away with Me

Amazon.com

It is not just the timbre of Norah Jones's voice that is mature beyond her 22 years. Her assured phrasing and precise time are more often found in older singers as well. She is instantly recognizable, blending shades of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone without sounding like anyone but herself. Any way you slice it, she is a singer to be reckoned with. Her readings of the Hank Williams classic "Cold Cold Heart" and Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You" alone are worth the price of the CD. Jones's own material, while not bad, pales a bit next to such masterpieces. They might have fared better had she and producer Arif Mardin opted for some livelier arrangements, taking better advantage of brilliant sidemen such as Bill Frisell, Kevin Breit, and Brian Blade; or if the tunes had simply been given less laconic performances. Jones has all the tools; what will come with experience and some careful listening to artists like J.J. Cale and Shirley Horn is the knack of remaining low-key without sounding sleepy--sometimes less is not, in fact, more. --Michael Ross

Product Description

Norah Jones, with her honey-and-smoke voice, trans cends musical genres, drawing as much upon folk-ba sed pop and country as she does jazz, blues and classic soul. Production by the legendary Arif Mardin, of Aretha Franklin. Roberta Flack, and Willie Nelson fame, to name a few. Special guest include Bill Frisell and Brian Blade.

Review

A showcase for Jones' remarkable voice, the disc captures a singer whose rare instinct for interpretation always serves the song, rather than working against it. -- The Onion (A.V. Club)

Gorgeous and intimate, the 14 songs on her debut disc ache with romantic maturity and a smart, slow-jam sexiness that belies the fact that, at 22, Jones is hardly older than Britney. -- E! Online

Her voice is supple and precise, her touch on piano lovely. -- Entertainment Weekly

She sings in an earthy growl that can send chills, or a conspiratorial whisper that suggests she's sharing sworn secrets, or a weary sigh that exudes the kind of quiet, easygoing intimacy that doesn't come around in songs too much anymore. -- Rolling Stone, ISBN13:B00005YW4H ISBN10:B00005YW4H Material Type:audioCD