Norah Jones – Come Away With Me (Blue Note)

This is just about the best debut album I’ve heard in years. Jones’ sultry vocals and extraordinary musical taste have led to stunning synthesis of jazz, pop folk and country. The album starts off with the truly astounding “Don’t Know Why” which is simultaneously insanely cool and heartbreaking. Nothing else on the album can quite reach these heights, but the drop-off in quality is so negligible that it’s barely noticeable. 

Couched in the velvety splendor of the stunning originals (mostly by band members Jesse Harris and Lee Alexander, but a couple by Jones herself) are stellar reinterpretations of Hank Williams’ “Cold Cold Heart” and Hoagy Carmichael’s “The Nearness of You.” The fact that these well-known standards feel fresh again, and that these acknowledged masterpieces do not overshadow the new songs, just show you the true depth of Come Away With Me. 

Other standout songs include “Feeling The Same Way,” which is hauntingly lovely, as is the quietly devotional come-on of the title track. “Seven Years” captures the pastoral peace of being a little girl in the way that few songs can. Norah Jones is one of the few artists who deserves all the next-big-thing hype. (4/02)

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright © 2002 PopEntertainment.com All rights reserved. Posted April 12, 2002.