Norah Jones - Come Away with Me [Bonus Tracks] (CD)

All Music Guide

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 read...ings of Hank Williams' "Cold Cold Heart," John 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. [Blue Note re-released Come Away With Me in March of 2003 with a bonus disc that featured four bonus tracks and the video for "Come Away With Me." The bonus tracks include a version of theIrma Thomas soul classic "Ruler of My Heart" performed with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, a live take on Hank Williams' "Cold Cold Heart," a mellow and countrified version of Bob Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight," and an introspective piano-and-voice version of Horace Silver's "Peace."] - David R. Adler, All Music Guide Read more Less