For a young and commercially successful artist, Norah Jones has admirably avoided playing it too safe. After scoring an unlikely sales sensation and multiple Grammy award winner with 2002's torchy COME AWAY WITH ME, Jones shifted gears slightly to accent that album's country and folk elements on the 1970s-styled follow-up, FEELS LIKE HOME. Following that, Jones deliberately played with expectations, first becoming a low-key sideman in a quirky alt-country band called the Little Willies, then playing the lead role in a new movie by Hong Kong arthouse director Wong Kar-Wai.
Jones's third album, NOT TOO LATE, is perhaps not as extreme as any of those other moves away from her initial comfort zone, but it's a departure nonetheless. Recorded by Jones and longtime collaborator Lee Alexander in their home studio and featuring only self-penned material, NOT TOO LATE is far less polished than Jones's previous records, with many songs featuring little more than the singer's familiar croon, a Floyd Cramer-influenced piano, and Alexander's subtle bass. Not quite jazz, country, or pop, NOT TOO LATE fuses all of Jones's influences into an immediately identifiable whole. It's easily her most mature and personal album to date.
Recording information: Brooklyn Recording, NY; The Coop, New York, NY.
Photographer: Todd Chalfant.
Personnel: Norah Jones (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, pump organ, Wurlitzer organ, Mellotron); Norah Jones (Wurlitzer piano); Daru Oda (vocals, whistling, whistle); Adam Levy (vocals, electric guitar); M. Ward, Richard Julian (vocals); Tony Scherr, Robbie McIntosh (electric guitar); Lee Alexander (lap steel guitar, bass instrument); Rob Sudduth, Bill McHenry (tenor saxophone); Chuck MacKinnon (trumpet); J. Walter Hawkes (trombone); Jose Davila (tuba); Larry Goldings (organ, Hammond b-3 organ); Paul Bryan (keyboards); Jesse Harris (acoustic guitar); Kevin Breit (mandolin); Julia Kent, Jeffrey Zeigler (cello); Andrew Borger (marimba, drums, cymbals, pans); Tony Mason (drums).
Audio Mixers: Tom Schick; Lee Alexander .
Rolling Stone (p.66) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[S]he's quirkier lyrically than any of her helpmates. And she remains pop's nicest superstar..." Entertainment Weekly (p.122) - "NOT TOO LATE has a slightly, rougher, home-studio sound....[With] slow, gorgeous dream-pop ballads..." -- Grade: B- Q (p.98) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[An] understated blend of country, folk, jazz and soul....Simple songs, lovingly crafted and sweetly sung." Uncut (p.75) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[S]omething altogether fresh....Just like that, Jones transforms herself into the gentlest of cutting-edge artists." Down Beat (p.58) - "Jones still favors gentle love songs, tunes streaked with a mix of nostalgia and hope, and her elegant amalgam of acoustic pop, soft focus country and polished blues still goes down like a spoonful of sugar." No Depression (p.108) - "NOT TOO LATE operates from an intimate stance.....Acoustic textures and bone-dry vocals draw the focus to the tune..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.104) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Jones has reclaimed her music on her own terms, establishing a new level of artistry with a fascinating line in subversion of the politest kind."
Hey! DEMOCRATIC BIAS! I love the CD. Her voice is just one of the best, if not the best! However, the liriks are profoundly political charged. Submitted by babp198824 (Chicago, Il, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
not bad I took away a star for her silly political views.
Having said that, I can't stay mad at her. I enjoy her music, and I've not heard a more beautiful voice. Good CD. Submitted by rob (texas) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
For The Love of God; Not Another Boring CD of Hers Give the general population a break for the Love Of God. This two-bit Class C lounge singer who doesn't even write her own music had the guts to put out another BORING cd? Where does it end I ask you?? If she had to depend on intelligent people like myself who see through her trash act, she would of been in bankruptcy court a long long time ago. Do we have to take further insults here from this lame A** act. Get smart people and move on from this one and stop contributing to this so called artists success. There is BETTER out there. I rest my case. Submitted by Johnny (I live in a van down by the river) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 2 of 3 found this helpful.
worst album ever This album is so boring and depressing, and it dosent have any good tunes!!!
not impressed at all Submitted by Mike (California) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 2 found this helpful.
More of the same (but that's a good thing!) Norah hits a triple with her latest CD. Not quite a homerun but getting to third base is quite an accomplishment. Half of the album is above average and the other half is just average, but I'm not complaining. Considering what below par material is being released and pushed by the record companies, this CD is a breath of fresh air. Submitted by almostchris (Danville, KY) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 2 found this helpful.
Hey! DEMOCRATIC BIAS!
not bad
For The Love of God; Not Another Boring CD of Hers
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