Jazz pianist and singer Norah Jones has been a critic's darling ever since her first album, "Come Away With Me," was released in February 2002. It blew away everyone else on the jazz scene and took home a trophy case of awards, including eight Grammys. Her sophomore effort, "Feels Like Home," changed directions from jazz to country (not severing the pop influences that marked both albums) and sold even faster than the first one. The album also earned her three Grammys.
Now Jones ventures on a different path again. Her third album, "Not Too Late," was released on January 30 and is the most subdued, personal, and independent-minded record of her career. It blurs the lines between different styles and makes it even harder for the critics to pigeonhole Jones's talent into one genre.
Maybe this can be attributed to her status in the music industry right now, which gives her the opportunity to experiment after finding mainstream success. Maybe she has become tired of her image as the "young singer taken from the '70s." Maybe she likes to emphasize her songwriting talents (all material in this album is original and includes no covers).
But most of all, it is likely due to the death of her longtime producer Arif Mardin last year. The Turkish-American guru of the music industry produced records for Dusty Springfield, David Bowie, Ringo Starr, Chaka Khan, Phil Collins, Aretha Franklin, the Bee Gees, Queen, and others throughout his 40-year career.
So Jones wrote and recorded the album in her home studio, collaborating with boyfriend, Lee Alexander. The result is more artsy and less nostalgic than her previous efforts. The songs are exactly what you would write if you were melancholic in your cozy apartment during winter with your beloved. It has jazz, pop, country, and blues influences. The first single, "Thinking About You," may create the wrong impression, since it is one of the most "pop" songs on the record and the only one that resulted from a collaboration with someone other than Alexander. It was written with the help of saxophonist Ilhan Ersahin.
The album sounds low-key because of its numerous acoustic guitars, slow rhythms, and gentle piano. The lyrics are also somewhat unconventional but reveal personality. Jones even gets political during several songs, remaining true to the trend of last year. Most of the songs are lazy, long, and very intimate. Little is to be found of her jazz roots that made her so successful in 2006; some songs sound a little funky instead. The best tracks are undoubtedly "Until the End," "Little Room," and "Sinkin's Slow."
Jones's moody and haunting vision has garnered her a lot of attention again. "Not Too Late" became the most pre-ordered album on Amazon.com and this is no surprise. She strips away all labels while remaining true to herself. This will surely win her many new fans because she does what artists ought to do to stay fresh?experiment.