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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 ... Full Descriptionto 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.
Personnel include: Norah Jones (vocals, piano, Wurlitzer piano); Daru Oda (vocals, whistle); Jesse Harris (acoustic guitar); Kevin Breit (mandolin); Julia Kent, Jeffrey Zeigler (cello); Larry Goldings (Hammond b-3 organ); Lee Alexander (bass instrument); Tony Mason, Andrew Borger (drums).
Recording information: The Coop, New York, NY.
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." Hide Description Norah Jones Not Too Late Songs Purchase Not Too Late CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Norah Jones Come Away With Me CD (2002)
Not Too Late album
 $15.15  
COME AWAY WITH ME won the 2003 Grammy Awards for Album Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical).
"Don't Know Why" won the 2003 Grammy Awards for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Arif Mardin won the 2003 Grammy Award for Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical).
A direct descendant from the pedigree of one of the 20th century's virtuosos, Norah Jones might not be on such a lofty artistic level as her dad Ravi Shankar, but certainly inherited some musical intuition from him. With nary a sitar nor raga within earshot, the young newcomer sounds very much an assimilated, western, 21st century pop-jazz singer. One thing that separates her from the pack is Ms. Jones' own piano stylings--not flashy, but deftly doubling or echoing her voice--that discreetly act as the glue holding together these airy, delicate, and beautiful arrangements.
But the centerpiece is certainly the 22-year-old's confident-beyond-her-years vocal delivery in addition to a precise diction and velvety tone. Shades of Nina Simone, vintage Phoebe Snow, and a less beatnik Rickie Lee Jones are evident throughout as the young siren coolly sashays through mostly new material by guitarist-songwriter Jesse Harris (formerly of Once Blue) and a few choice covers. Veteran producer Arif Mardin frames a most notable debut with a translucent touch, and appearances by jazz heroes ...
| | Norah Jones Feels Like Home CD (2004) Enhanced CD
Not Too Late CD music
$15.15 
This is an Hyper CD, which contains regular audio tracks and also provides a link to the artist's website with the help of a web browser.
This is a Hyper CD, which contains regular audio tracks and also provides a link to the artist's website with the help of a web browser.
After the unexpected runaway success of COME AWAY WITH ME, where to next? The good news about Norah Jones's sophomore effort is that she and producer Arif Mardin decided to leave well enough alone in most regards. There are no screeching guitars, thumping drum machines, or padding synthesizers, and most of the tempos are slow or laid-back--way back. Guests Garth Hudson and Levon Helm of the Band contribute to "What Am I to You?" and Dolly Parton makes an appearance on bassist Lee Alexander's "Creepin' In." Jones's backing group, the Handsome Band, provides just the right stripped-down accompaniments and subtle touches to support the blessing that is her voice.
Jones knows how to luxuriate in the sumptuousness of her sound and infuse such unlikely lyrics as "my toes just touched the water" with a sensual blues sensibility. On top of all this, when it comes to phrasing, her tremendous instincts and smarts put her in rare company. What Jones does explore further is the art of songwriting, and the results here give every indication that she is on the right track.
'Feels Like Home' features 13 tracks & a host of special guests including Dolly Parton, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson of ...
| | Dixie Chicks Taking The Long Way CD (2006)
Not Too Late music CDs
$10.55  
The soaring pop choruses and dashes of string orchestration that vie for space with acoustic picking and steel guitar swells should rather be seen in the context of a group that's been evolving toward a pop/country amalgam for some time. (Don't forget that one of their biggest hits was a Fleetwood Mac cover.) If anything, the expansive sonic approach and forthright themes simply stand to show that the Chicks have transcended genre pigeonholes. There's still plenty of country in their sound, but with LONG WAY the trio belongs to the larger world at last.
At the time of TAKING THE LONG WAY's release, the lyrical content of a high-profile album by a big-deal artist hadn't been the topic of such public scrutiny since Eminem was still a hot topic. The Dixie Chicks certainly had to have seen this coming, though, after they withstood a firestorm of insults, threats, and boycotts for criticizing George W. Bush's policies. ...
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Not Too Late songs
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With a track list that includes "Little Girl Blue," "Willow Weep for Me," and "Isn't This a Lovely Day," one might worry that Krall is treading too-familiar territory here, but the Canadian singer puts her distinctive stamp on each of the 11 compositions. The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra provides some serious swing on the uptempo numbers, but it is Krall's ...
| | Lucinda Williams West CD (2007) Digipak
Not Too Late album
$10.85
Williams's seemingly odd choice to work with mainstream pop producer Hal Willner works wonderfully. Willner built the album up from Williams's demo recordings, keeping her original vocals, and creating a sound that shimmers but never loses sight of the music's tough rootsiness. Yet it's Williams's searingly honest songwriting and achingly beautiful performances that make WEST so brilliant. Whether it's gutbucket blues ("Wrap My Head Around That"), bittersweet lilt ("Learning How To Live"), or harrowing confessionals ("Unsuffer Me"), Williams knows how to scrape the bottom of the human heart and put it into song. The result is one of the finest albums in her already sterling discography.
Like Billie Holiday, John Lee Hooker, and Kurt Cobain, among others, Lucinda Williams is an artist with that certain difficult-to-define quality, the ability to channel the collective soul through a ...
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Not Too Late CD music
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Those who find the pairing of '70s rock god Robert Plant with contemporary bluegrass queen Alison Krauss unlikely have probably not been paying attention to Plant's latter-day work, which is full of intimate, acoustic-flavored balladry. While the ...
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Track Listing of songs: Dogmatofobia; Noche de Los Oportunos; Duro y a La Encia [Remix J. Al Andalus]; Accion Mutante [Version 98]; Veraneo en Puerto Hurraco; Cotorra Criolla; Alzheimer; Ciudadano Terrorista; Insonorizate; A.M.V.; Quiero La Cabeza de Alfredo Garcia; Culpa de Todo La Tiene Yoko Ono; Que No Te Cojan; Apocalipsis Ahora; Panico ...
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Not Too Late Music Review Average Rating: (3.1 out of 5 stars)    List All Reviews 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? Yes No
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? Yes No  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? Yes No
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? Yes No More mature & Personal(Is it a crime?)
I hate reviewers or critics who jump on artists who change a winning formula that's tired or worst overblown. I for one found Jones two first records were way overhyped. The songs never came from the spirit(even with "come away with me"). With "Not too late", I feel that Jones has finally come full circle, expressing herself in a truly natural way, while staying true to her craft and element. The best record so far this year in my book.
Submitted by Manolo "Bad boy" (Montreal,Qc,Can)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
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