Ever since Norah Jones released her award-winning album Come Away with Me in 2002, she prepared us for her 2009 release The Fall (www.norahjones.com).
Norah Jones
When Norah Jones entered the commercial music scene eight years ago, the world fell in love with her sultry voice and melodic jazzy beats interspersed with acoustic pop. They were so enamoured that they gave her five Grammy Awards for Come Away with Me.
It equalled the highest number for any female artist alongside Lauryn Hill for her debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and
The Title of Norah Jones’ Fourth Studio Album
Could it be that The Fall is aptly named to describe her own revelation that none of her subsequent albums will ever sell 20 million copies or more as did Come Away with Me? Maybe it refers somewhat to her split and heartbreak from band member Lee Alexander. Or more precisely, it could mean that autumn season of falling leaves and hues of burnt oranges, browns, yellows and crisp dryness which the Americans speak of fondly as fall.
However, listening to the album I realise it could be anyone of these. One has the feeling with this album, unlike with her others, that Jones made this recording purely for her own enjoyment rather than for commerce or to fulfil contractual obligations. Her voice which once was inviting and open remains sultry, but carries an element of seduction to it.
A Woman and Her Voice
It is beautifully strange. As I listened to The Fall, I didn’t feel as though I was being a voyeur intruding on the intimate acts of a lone female, but rather this was a female who sang for the sole gift of song and if I desired, I could sit and listen. Norah Jones’ has never wanted to sound like anyone, which is refreshing and courageous of her.
She doesn’t stick to a formula on this album moving easily from her trademark jazz and blues feel, to country notes all the while playing with the sounds of retro rock and roll and she can do this easily because she had a hand in the writing of all the songs on the album.
First Single
Chasing Pirates, the album’s leading single peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks and it reached the number 7 on the Billboard Jazz Songs Chart. It is appropriate that it did so, as this song introduces Norah Jones to us, if indeed we had any ideas that she may still be the same woman.
‘My mind is tired from chasing pirates,’ she sings against a background of soulful jazz and muted rock and roll beats. It tells the story of a woman who has grown from a child who wanted to please everyone to a woman who has had enough of everyone and now only wants to please herself.
Singing of Love and Life
That same element runs strong in the superbly strung I Wouldn’t Need You, where she berates her lover and herself for giving over to the often irrational emotion of love, stating, ‘If I touched myself the way you touched me, if I could hold myself the way you held me and I wouldn’t need you…to love me.’ Now that she is in her thirties, she will not lie to herself about the false promises of love and she tells it honestly in the song Back to
Far from making us feel sorrow for her, Jones almost seems to smile, mocking us with her low voice that temporarily drugs us as we move from the sentimental Even Though to the country tones of Light as a Feather. The latter intimates that pervasive mood of aloneness and independence that make this album so enjoyable to listen to.
The Bitterness of The Fall
Unfortunately, that almost rebellious spirit is not carried through adequately in the fast-paced Young Blood, which is clearly a song about being young, free and a rebel. The harder guitar strings do all they are required to do, but Norah Jones’ voice does not quite stand up to the test of matching that slightly wiry sound and while I know of what she sings, I don’t feel it as much.
But then, Jones is not a singer/songwriter with many accolades under her belt for nothing and she makes up for it in You’ve Ruined Me where she blends a beautiful soulful 60s instrumental introduction into a story of old-school love and emotion. Her voice finds its strength here and she does not back down from the overlaying drums or piano.
Norah Jones: Singer, Songwriter, Actress
It suits this young musician (also actress having starred in a leading role in the movie Blueberry Nights alongside Jude Law) to sample sounds from decades ago. While others try it, they only sound like they are stealing what clearly doesn’t belong to them and no amount of cooing or digitalisation will make it better. However, Norah Jones, the daughter of renowned Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar and concert producer
She has a definitive lead when she plays with instruments and her voice. Everything works according to her say-so and it shows as you listen to The Fall. Norah Jones tells sad love stories beautifully. She knows how to be self-deprecating without making room for self-pity; and while she may feel sad, she takes responsibility for her own happiness.
Blending Country, Jazz, Blues and Rock
She works adequately with the sorrowful country tunes, adding in jazz and blues tones and, when the mood strikes, she injects a shot of rock and roll just in case you fall asleep to your own lonely heart. If you’re a Norah Jones fan and have been since the beginning, this is an album to add to your collection.
If you would like to be introduced to a sound that you can listen to on your own either in a low sound in the early hours of the morning or while driving through traffic as the spring rains beat over you, then you’ll want to have this album with you. Definitely recommended.
