Norah Jones' debut on Blue Note is a mellow, acoustic pop affair with soul and country overtones, immaculately produced by the great Arif Mardin.
(It's pretty much an open secret that the 22-year-old vocalist and pianist is the daughter of Ravi Shankar.) Jones is not quite a jazz singer, but she is joined by some highly regarded jazz talent: guitarists Adam Levy, Adam Rogers, Tony Scherr, Bill Frisell, and Kevin Breit; drummers Brian Blade, Dan Rieser, and Kenny Wollesen; organist Sam Yahel; accordionist Rob Burger; and violinist Jenny Scheinman.
Her regular guitarist and bassist, Jesse Harris and Lee Alexander, respectively, play on every track and also serve as the chief songwriters.
Both have a gift for melody, simple yet elegant progressions, and evocative lyrics.
(Harris made an intriguing guest appearance on Seamus Blake's Stranger Things Have Happened.) Jones, for her part, wrote the title track and the pretty but slightly restless "Nightingale." She also includes convincing readings of Hank Williams' "Cold Cold Heart," J.D.
Loudermilk's "Turn Me On," and Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You." There's a touch of Rickie Lee Jones in Jones' voice, a touch of Bonnie Raitt in the arrangements; her youth and her piano skills could lead one to call her an Alicia Keys for grown-ups.
While the mood of this record stagnates after a few songs, it does give a strong indication of Jones' alluring talents.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Don't Know WhyJesse Harris | Norah Jones | Play | 03:06 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 2 | Seven YearsLee Alexander | Norah Jones | Play | 02:25 | 5 MB | 13 MB |
| 3 | Cold, Cold HeartHank Williams | Norah Jones | Play | 03:38 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 4 | Feelin' the Same WayLee Alexander | Norah Jones | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 5 | Come Away with MeJesse Harris, Norah Jones | Norah Jones | Play | 03:18 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 6 | Shoot the MoonJesse Harris | Norah Jones | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 22 MB |
| 7 | Turn Me OnJohn D. Loudermilk | Norah Jones | Play | 02:34 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 8 | LonestarLee Alexander | Norah Jones | Play | 03:06 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 9 | I've Got to See You AgainJesse Harris | Norah Jones | Play | 04:13 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 10 | Painter SongLee Alexander, J.C. Hopkins | Norah Jones | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 11 | One Flight DownJesse Harris | Norah Jones | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 12 | NightingaleNorah Jones | Norah Jones | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 23 MB |
| 13 | The Long Day Is OverJesse Harris, Norah Jones | Norah Jones | Play | 02:44 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 14 | The Nearness of YouHoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington | Norah Jones | Play | 03:07 | 7 MB | 14 MB |
| 45 mins | 103 MB | |||||
| 45 mins | 245 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Alexander | Bass, Composer |
| 2 | Brian Bacchus | A&R |
| 3 | Mark Birkey | Assistant Engineer |
| 4 | Brian Blade | Drums, Guest Artist, Percussion |
| 5 | Kevin Breit | Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), National Steel Guitar |
| 6 | Rob Burger | Accordion, Pump Organ |
| 7 | Hoagy Carmichael | Composer |
| 8 | Chris Cofoni | A&R |
| 9 | Bill Frisell | Guest Artist, Guitar (Electric) |
| 10 | Jesse Harris | Composer, Guest Artist, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) |
| 11 | Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos | Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) |
| 12 | Zach Hochkeppel | Product Manager |
| 13 | J.C. Hopkins | Composer |
| 14 | S. "Husky" Höskulds | Engineer |
| 15 | Gordon H. Jee | Creative Director |
| 16 | Ted Jensen | Mastering |
| 17 | Norah Jones | Composer, Piano, Piano (Electric), Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals, Wurlitzer |
| 18 | Dick Kondas | Assistant Engineer |
| 19 | Adam Levy | Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) |
| 20 | John D. Loudermilk | Composer |
| 21 | Bruce Lundvall | A&R |
| 22 | Arif Mardin | Mixing, Producer, String Arrangements |
| 23 | Brandon Mason | Assistant Engineer |
| 24 | Jay Newland | Engineer, Mixing, Producer, Remixing |
| 25 | Jessica Novod | Art Direction, Design |
| 26 | Todd Parker | Assistant Engineer, Mixing Assistant |
| 27 | Dan Rieser | Drums |
| 28 | Adam Rogers | Guitar |
| 29 | Joanne Savio | Photography |
| 30 | Jenny Scheinman | Violin |
| 31 | Tony Scherr | Guitar (Acoustic), Slide Guitar |
| 32 | Craig Street | Producer |
| 33 | David Swope | Assistant |
| 34 | Ned Washington | Composer |
| 35 | Eden White | Production Coordination |
| 36 | Shell White | Production Coordination |
| 37 | Mark Wilder | Mastering |
| 38 | Hank Williams | Composer |
| 39 | Eli Wolf | A&R |
| 40 | Kenny Wollesen | Drums |
| 41 | Sam Yahel | Organ (Hammond) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |