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| Editorial Reviews: | |  |  | | 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 intimations of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone without sounding like anyone but herself. Anyway 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 masterpieces such as these. 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 being sleepy--sometimes less is not, in fact, more. --Michael Ross | | | | Avec ce premier album, Norah Jones s'impose comme une chanteuse charismatique, digne héritière des aînées Carole King, Rickie Lee Jones, Joni Mitchell et Laura Nyro. Comme ces deux dernières, la jeune Américaine ne veut rien se refuser : entre le jazz (le disque est édité par le label Blue Note), la pop, voire le folk ou la country, elle ne choisit pas, préférant varier les ambiances sans que la cohérence de l'ensemble soit jamais entamée. Pour venir à bout de cette tâche délicate, pas moins de deux producteurs ont été nécessaires. Craig Street apporte son expérience acquise aux côtés d'artistes singuliers (Joe Henry, Cassandra Wilson, Me'Shell Ndegeocello) tandis que Arif Mardin, producteur des œuvres d'Aretha Franklin sur Atlantic, apporte en matière d'arrangements la touche nécessaire à la concrétisation des idées de la chanteuse. Bien qu'il ne s'agisse que de son premier opus, Norah Jones jouissait déjà d'une certaine réputation due à sa participation à l'un des disques du guitariste Charlie Hunter où, en reprenant Nick Drake et Roxy Music, elle révélait toute l'étendue de ses influences. Autour d'un groupe soudé, quelques invités, dont le batteur Brian Blade et le guitariste Bill Frisell, sont venus prêter main-forte. Ce qui domine sur Come Away With Me, c'est la maturité d'un sacré tempérament d'emblée affichée. Et, surtout, une totale authenticité. --Hervé Comte | |
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| | Its not-quite-jazz, not-quite-blues but I loved it. Nora Jones is a rare and gifted talent that only comes along once in while. Her voice is so sultry and sophisticated that I thought I was listening to a much older artist. Every song on her album invites you into the world of her soulful music for a listening experience that made me play the songs over and over. Excellent CD. You'll get lost in the music.
| | | this is a great chill-out album, perfect to stick on the stereo on a chilly sunday when you just want to stay cosy & loaf around at home,
the track i totally love is "lonestar" it is a beautiful wistful tune, like a clear summer's evening when there's a big bright moon in the sky & you're outside just gazing up & pondering your life............. totally gorgeous.
i am a flirting jazz fan & i like what i like, & this album has enough musical creativity & production quality to satisfy any true music fan, regardless of their chosen musical genre.
| | | Look, I am by no means a "blues" fan of any sort. It's not that I don't like it, I just don't listen to it. I bought this CD because a many favorable reviews, and I saw her performance at the Grammys, and was hooked. Her voice is smooth, and sounds amazing. Each track is unique in it's own way, and has many timeless gems. Favorite tracks have got to be "Cold, Cold Heart", "Come Away With Me", and "Painter Song", although all the songs are great. Buy, listen, enjoy, you shouldn't be dissappointed.
| | | Cold, calculating, but ultimately callow Upper Middle Class pop jazz from an Ice Queen who sings with all the soul of a doorstop. If this is indeed Ravi Shankar's daughter, she inherited not one iota of her father's passion and artistry. Phony through and through.
| | Beautiful, distinguished voice and sophisticated music. | |
| | | In a world where the new "singing sensations" are the unoriginal screamers who participate to "American Idol" and similar TV monstrosities, it's really refreshing to witness the rise of a REAL talent with a REAL music background and an exceptional panache for musical "buon gusto." Norah doesn't have a "big" voice, so what? Neither did Billie Holiday, but I'll take her over any screamer at any time. It's not by chance that I mentioned Billie Holiday, because that's the kind of voice Norah reminds me of, and I simply love it. Sultry, smoky and haunting are the three adjectives that immediately come to my mind. On to the music, Norah's songs are a delightful blend of country, blues and jazz, all encased by electronic-free arrangements (i.e. real singers need no walls of synthesizers and special effects to cover the flaws of their voice...) and some very tasteful but unobtrusive piano playing by Norah herself. I basically like all songs in this album, but my favorites are the title track ("Come Away with Me", a really delightful jazzy waltz), "Don't Know Why" (a Pat Metheny-esque tune featuring a beautiful melody and an exceptionally tasteful arrangement) and the amazing "The Nearness of You", where Norah showcases her incredible ability to perform immortal standards with nothing behind her voice but her own superb piano accompaniment. The fact that this album received 8 Grammy awards makes me a little less pessimistic on the future of pop music.
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